


In Hydra, Vine Do You

by Quarra



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Abuse, Anal Fingering, Anal Gaping, Anal Sex, Aphrodisiacs, Bad Things Happen To Bad People, Begging, Biting, Blow Jobs, Body Horror, Bondage, Breathplay, Brief suicidal thoughts, Butt Plugs, Cock & Ball Torture, Cock Warming, Cock milking, Come Marking, Come Swallowing, Come play, Creative uses for pollen, Deepthroating, Dehumanization, Dom/sub, Dubious Consent, Dubious Consentacles, Dubious consent body modification, Electricity play mentioned, Forced Orgasm, Fucking Machines, Gags, Gang Rape, HYDRA Trash Party, Happy Ending, He was never Captain America, Hydra Husbands mentioned, Kinda, M/M, MCU Kink Bang 2018, Medical Experimentation, Multiple Orgasms, Multiple Penetration, Nipple Play, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Object Insertion, Or really whatever the plant version of that is, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Overstimulation, Oviposition, Pain play mentioned, Pet Names, Plant Monster Steve, Possessive Behavior, Praise Kink, Predicament Bondage, Prostate Milking, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements, Science experiment Steve, Service Top, Sex Pollen, Some angst, Surprisingly fluffy considering the tags, Team as Family, Tentacle Bondage, Tentacle Sex, Tentacles, The Asset gets planted is what I'm saying, The Avengers Are Good Bros, Torture, Touch-Starved, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, discussion of consent, it's drugs, seriously fluffy ending, service topping, some violence, sub space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 06:06:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 27,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14302461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quarra/pseuds/Quarra
Summary: While the Asset is in the middle of an experimentation session with the Chem Sci department, an emergency happens in another lab. One of the other experimental creatures escaped its containment cell and the Asset is ordered to go take care of it. He's hosed off, plugged up, geared up, and sent upstairs post-haste to deal with the problem.Unfortunately, the Asset is still flush with drugs that make him incredibly aroused. When the escaped creature notices, he takes an interest.Much to the Asset's delight.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sealcat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sealcat/gifts).



> This is my contribution to the MCU Kink Bang 2018. It's been a wild ride! I'd like to thank [Sealcat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sealcat/pseuds/Sealcat) for brainstorming with me on this fantastic idea. They drew a lovely sketch that just inspired the hell out of me, and I hope they love the story that came out of it! The constant support and encouragement they offered went a really long way towards getting this done.
> 
> A MASSIVE thank you to [xantissa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xantissa/pseuds/xantissa) for the suggestions/advice for making the smut steamier, and to [sparkly_butthole](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkly_butthole/pseuds/sparkly_butthole/works?fandom_id=586439) for being a _fantastic_ last minute beta. I can't thank you folks enough.
> 
> For those of you who are just here for the sweet, sweet porn, stick to chapter one. If you want the follow up, read on to chapter two.

With every thrust, the Asset strained against his bonds. He couldn’t help it. Try as he might to stay still, he was too precariously balanced to stop himself from flying forward every time the tech fucked into him. His toes burned and strained to keep him upright, to keep him balanced, each digit digging in to the cold tile beneath him. 

His arms were held behind his back and tied at the elbows and wrists, forcing them to stay straight. The woven metal fiber that they used to bind him dug in to his skin, making his fingers tingly and a bit numb. A chain connected his wrist bindings to the lab ceiling. After every thrust into him, the links clinked and clattered, a high chiming accompaniment to the grunts and heavy breathing behind him. 

The muzzle on his face kept him from speaking. Not that it would matter much. Given the Asset’s current state, the best he likely would have been able to say would be a string of incoherent pleading. The inside of the mask was a thick rubber gag shaped like a cock that filled his mouth, touching all the way to the back of his throat and causing him to breathe carefully through his nose. Spit and come drooled out from around the gag and down his face, leftovers from another round of techs. The salty bitterness was foul on his tongue, and made him want to scream with frustration. For every tech that came in his mouth, it was one more that wasn’t fucking him in his needy ass, wasn’t rubbing up inside of him and helping nudge him closer to getting off. Not that he was allowed to come, but he still craved it.

A wide posture collar kept his neck straight and face tilted upward. The collar was attached to a short chain with a heavy weight on it, keeping him bent over. He could feel every ounce of that weight down his spine, painfully stretching him out. His legs were stretched wide and fastened to a spreader bar. The chain from the ceiling left him just enough give to stand up on his tiptoes, though it left his arms at a painfully uncomfortable angle. 

The Asset had been in this position for quite a while now, though exactly how long was lost on him. He did know that it was far too soon to hope for an end. 

They’d gotten through some of the beatings and a little whipping. Several of the techs had had a go at his ass and mouth already, enough so that the lingering taste of come filled his throat and his hole dripped with fluids. He wasn’t sure if it was round two for the guy fucking him right then, but it hardly mattered. They’d keep at it until he passed out, and then they’d switch to the electricity training. Something to wake him up. 

Already his system was flush with their latest drug test. To keep him interested, they’d said. Even though his body ached with the punishment it had already taken, the wickedly tight bindings, and the brutal positioning, his cock was hard as could be. Whatever it was they’d injected into him had him burning up with the need to get off. Saliva pooled in his mouth and dribbled down his chin. He moaned through every touch, painful or pleasant. 

The techs hadn’t touched his cock yet. Maybe didn’t plan on touching it at all, but there was a steady drip-drip of precome flowing out of him.

If he had been able, the Asset would have begged. As it was, all he could do was think a steady litany of _please, please, please, please_. The dick inside of him wasn’t enough. He needed more. Needed it so badly he wanted to scream.

Just as another load of come filled up his already soaked hole, the alarms in the room went off. 

“The fuck?” a tech muttered behind him and the Asset was suddenly left empty. A breath of cold air tickled around his still-open hole, causing him to writhe in place and clench down in an ineffectual effort to tighten up his ass.

A door slammed open. There was the sound of several pairs of boots tromping in.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” It was a new voice, rough and annoyed. There was something familiar about it, but not enough to bring up a name or a face for the Asset. Not surprising. The Asset was always wiped regularly. “Just what we fucking need. You! Cut it down. We need the Asset, ASAP.”

People scrambled around the room. Heat raced through the Asset in waves as the drug kept his cock steadily dripping even without any stimulation. 

“What’s going on?” That was one of the techs, the guy in charge of this experiment. Someone started messing with the chain on his wrists. “No! Don’t take that off first, you fucking idiot! Undo its arms first and it’ll faceplant into that rock on its collar.”

“So?”

“So if they need the Asset enough to interrupt testing, then they’re gonna need it conscious rather than fucking knocked out from bashing in its head. Get the collar first. And I’m putting this on your performance review.”

There was fumbling at his collar, and then the weight fell away. He took a deep shuddering breath, the first one in hours it seemed. The collar was taken off next, and he let his head drop forward. Every muscle in his neck screamed in sweet relief. 

“The idiots over in botany finally lost control of whatever batshit serum experiment they were doing.” The new voice sounded both pissed and completely unsurprised. “Not that it matters much to them now. Pretty sure they’re already dead, right along with the first team we sent in.”

His ankles were untied next. As much as he badly wanted to drop to his knees, the chain on his wrists wouldn’t allow it. But he could slowly shuffle his legs together, which got him enough slack that he could stand flat footed for the first time in ages. It was as painful as it was glorious and for a moment he couldn’t even feel the hard aching of his dick, just the flood of fresh blood flow into his poor, battered limbs. He groaned, loud and low. A river of tears trickled down his face and gathered up in the seams of his muzzle and along his hairline.

A hand was back fumbling at the chain on his wrist.

“Wait.” There was a long sigh. “All that build up. We’re gonna have to start over when it gets done. Hrm. Plug it up. That will at least save us a little time in prep work, though we’ll probably have to reinject him. Ug, this is gonna fuck with the results.” 

Something cold and hard was shoved into his ass, thin at first, but expanding enough that he could feel the stretch when the tapered end settled into place. He keened quietly. Little sparks of pleasure curled around inside of him as the plug rubbed against his prostate. He couldn’t stop the little roll of his hips, a slight shift to try and work the object around inside of him in the hopes of getting a little more friction. Something, anything to try and abate the burning need in his groin. The plug wasn’t shaped right for it though. It was smooth and cylindrical inside of him, its firm surface offering no relief to his battered hole. 

“Is it going to be able to fight like that?” This was a third voice. Junior tech, if the Asset remembered right. Probably the one who’d been unchaining him in the incorrect order. 

A few short chuckles all around. 

“This is the _Asset_ we’re talking about here. It could fight with both its legs broken if we told it to. A metal plug ain’t gonna do jack shit but keep it open and ready for us.”

The chain at his wrists fell away and he dropped to his knees, face falling forward to hit the floor. He panted hard around the dildo gag in his muzzle and wished he dared rub off against the floor. More laughter all around.

“Look at that. Ass up and waiting. Fuck.” 

“Afterwards, you and Strike wanna come down and help us out? We’ll probably need an extended warm up before we start up the experiment again.”

“Yeah, we can swing that.” There was interest there, a tone of voice that the Asset learned to recognize and dread. “For now though, time’s wasting. Get that shit off of it and get it suited up.”

The Asset was hauled up right by his elbows, the ties digging painfully into his skin. Then his arms were free. He would have sagged forward again, but a tight grip on his hair kept him upright. His muscles kept shivering, twitching randomly from the change in position. The want was still burning through his body, clouding his senses, making him lean into the hands pulling him upward. His cock jerked at the contact, another splash of precome dripping from it.

There was a man dressed in all black in front of him. Combat gear. Heavily armed. The Asset’s arm recalibrated. He didn’t dare look up to the man’s face. Instead, he kept his eyes unfocused and stared at the belt that was at eye level. The man waved something over, and the Asset was doused in cold water, hosed down. The frigid cold was a shock to his senses, wilting his painful hard on for a moment and bringing back some clarity of thought, but as soon as the water cut off, his cock started to fill again. His veins burned with whatever was pumping through them. He tried to lick up the drool around the edges of the gag and tried to focus on his breathing. As unpleasant as the water had been, at least the cold helped him focus. 

“Asset. Here is your equipment. Get dressed. You’ve got an assignment.”

The Asset nodded and scrambled over to the pile of gear on a nearby table. Every part of him hurt, but nothing was broken. He wasn’t gushing blood, nor was he laboring under any burns. It took only a few seconds to get the armor on and he was profoundly grateful that the muzzle covered up whatever expression his face was making as the hard plug shifted around inside of him. 

He was dressed and combat ready in under two minutes, standing ready for inspection. The man with the gravel voice looked him up and down, then reached forward to grab onto his still-hard cock already chafing under the kevlar. The Asset made a strangled sound, the cock shaped gag in his mouth only garbling it instead of stifling it. Then the man _squeezed_ , crushing the flesh there as hard as he could. The pain swamped him, setting his nerves on fire. It was agony, but it was also exquisite bliss. Everything was muddled in his mind; he couldn’t split the feelings apart. His body was torn between fucking up into that grip and trying to pull away. Wetness spreaded from his cock under the armor, but the Asset knew better than to move. He stood quietly and took the pain, eyes watering but standing completely still. 

Someone behind them spoke up. “You done jerkin’ off, Rumlow? ‘Cause we got shit to do.”

The grip on the Asset’s cock tightened for a moment, and then released. Everything ached and pulsed with the beat of his heart. The rough fabric of the tactical gear rubbed up against his sore flesh and caused another dribble of wetness to leak out of him. His blood pounded in his ears and he wanted to rut and cry. It didn’t matter that the stimulation had stopped, whatever drug was in him was still in full effect and the Asset knew he’d be practically gagging for someone to touch him soon. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Rumlow said, a slow filthy smirk curling on his face. “Asset, pay attention.” The Asset’s eyes snapped to Rumlow’s face. “We’ve got an unknown threat in one of the biochemical labs. Evidence suggests something large and deadly. You’re going in for a straight kill mission. Whatever the fuck those morons made in there, we don’t need it spreading to the rest of the facility, understand?”

The Asset nodded, and then was handed an assault rifle; his standard M4A1 Carbine with grenade launcher. With quick, sure movements, he checked the magazine and flicked the safety. Even that little bit of movement was enough to make the plug shift inside of him, hurting him _so fucking good_. His whole body clenched down as a fresh wave of heat raced through him. He breathed slowly through his nose, willing his body to calm down.

With that, he and the Strike team were off, heading up two floors and down a hall. Between the heavy plug moving around inside of him and the chafing of his aching cock against the rough fabric of the pants, each step was pleasurable agony.

Most of the hallway lights were out, but a few flickered slowly to life as they approached. Strike stopped moving and the Asset waited for his orders.

“Third door down there.” Rumlow pointed up the hallway. “As far as we can tell, whatever is fucking shit up in there is contained. The whole floor is on lock down and the labs are insulated against nearly everything. Go in there, find whatever killed everyone, and burn it the fuck down. Feel free to burn up as much of the extra shit in there, too. After this clusterfuck, the higher ups don’t really care about salvaging what’s left.”

The Asset nodded and shifted his gun up to a ready position, then carefully made his way down the hallway. Settling his mind into a battle focus, the aching of his cock and the continuous rub of the plug inside of him faded into the background. Just another bit of pain to ignore.

He eased his way into the lab and then shut the door behind him. Just the thought of cutting off his escape route made him twitch a little, but a larger part of him was relieved that the door was still able to close. That would make containment a fair bit easier. Hopefully. 

A dim red glow suffused the large room. It was the emergency backup lights. Probably came on after whatever it was started to go wrong. One or two of the main lights flickered on and off, causing a strange strobing effect. Broken furniture and equipment was strewn about all over the room, and the floor crackled with broken glass. A light fog pooled a few inches above the floor, rippling oddly in a nonexistent breeze. There were plants everywhere; in pots, on the tables, spilling out over the walls, and vining right up into the ceiling. Dark green leaves looked almost black in the strange light, and large white and blue blooms dotted the walls. The sight of so much life in this concrete bunker was more disconcerting than the emergency lights or the obvious signs of struggle.

Sprayed over a good portion of the room werethe remnants of several people. Some pieces showed evidence of wearing tactical gear, but most had shreds of lab coat white fabric on them. 

Nothing moved as he slowly investigated the main room. There were side rooms, smaller areas that held supplies or acted as contained lab space, but the Asset wanted to clear the main room first. The Asset took a breath. The heavy scent of blood and flowers and earth filled the air. It was oddly calming. Peaceful, even. 

Fog rippled off to his left. He whirled in place, gun at the ready. It was tempting to fire off a few rounds, but the Asset was loath to give away his position so readily. 

Another movement in the fog. There was definitely something alive in here. Whatever it was, though, it wasn’t moving like a human might. The Asset’s enhanced senses would have picked up even the stealthiest of assassins. But the enemy here slithered in and out of his perception, sliding around with a twist of the fog and a soft rustle of leaves. 

The lights flickered. 

Something brushed against the Asset’s leg. He lept sideways, firing into the fog. Just bullets, for now. The grenades he was saving for once he had a visible target. 

A bizarre shriek echoed in the room and the fog churned as whatever-it-was thrashed. It only lasted a moment, because within two heartbeats his bullets were already hitting empty wall again. 

The Asset stalked forward, looking for any evidence of wounds. A vague shifting sound seemed to come from all the walls in the room, creaking like heavy branches in the wind. There was nothing to see, though. Just more flowers and vines. 

He took another few steps, carefully searching the dark pockets of shadows near him, under the tables and behind broken equipment. The lights flickered again. A slow steady _drip-drip-drip_ echoed in from one of the side rooms. 

The Asset approached the first side door with caution. The door itself hung poorly off its hinges, and there was nothing but darkness beyond it. Generally the Asset didn’t need any additional light. He’d been modified to see in everything but the blackest of rooms. But even he couldn’t parse what lay beyond. 

But before he could cautiously peek inside the door, something wrapped around his ankle and _pulled_. The speed and strength with which it dragged him was enough to tug the Asset clear off of his feet. He landed hard on the floor. Muscle memory from decades of combat had him twist onto his back before he fell, ready to fire the moment he landed. That didn’t account for the massive metal plug still in his ass, though. When he hit the ground it was forced painfully up inside of him, digging into his already abused rim and stabbing into the fragile tissues inside. 

All he had time to do was gasp once in pain before he was hauled off to the side. He sped through the room, slamming into chairs and under tables as the thing on his ankle reeled him in. 

Every bump on the floor was agony, but he was the Asset. He was used to agony. What he wasn’t used to was his body sending him mixed signals; the unwanted pleasure and drugs still flooded his system, clouding his mind enough he couldn’t react, couldn’t free himself fast enough.

By the time the thing pulled him into another side room, the Asset had grabbed a knife, ready to stab the thing that bound him. Once he was in the smaller room, it lifted him right up off the floor and slammed him into a wall. All the air was knocked right out of him, but he held on to his blade. As he struggled to breathe, vines pulled themselves off the wall behind him and began snaking around his limbs. 

He slashed with all the strength that he had, cutting off as many of the rope-like tendrils as he could, but it was no use. They swarmed him, holding each of his limbs so that he was stretched out like a star. Slowly but surely, they tightened around him, causing him to grunt in pain.

The vines froze, leaving the Asset panting, bound too tight to even writhe. His gaze darted around, anxious to see the thing that had captured him.

Red light bathed the room. Large cylindrical glass tubes lined one wall. Most were dark, but one still had a dim light radiating up from the base inside. A huge hole lay in the center of it and painted in neat block letters underneath the hole was the word S.T.E.V.E. More vines covered the rest of the room; floor, walls, and ceiling, too. Leaves and flowers were sprinkled sparsely along their vast expanse. 

In front of the far wall stood the creature. Except...it looked pretty close to a nude man. The skin was tinted oddly in the strange light and small vines wrapped around his arms and torso. He had short, light-colored hair, beautiful pouty lips, and the most impressive shoulder to waist ratio the Asset had ever seen. 

All in all, he was beautiful. 

A wave of heat rushed through the Asset. His eyes fluttered half shut and a needy groan ripped its way out of him. While he was actively fighting, he’d been able to ignore most of the crushing effects of the drugs in his system. But now, left bound and waiting, there was nothing to stop him from focusing on how badly he needed to come. 

His hips bucked against their bindings, eager for any kind of friction, but he was held fast. There was an obvious bulge in the front of his pants where his cock strained against the heavy fabric of his uniform. The plug was so huge inside of him, all the twisting and writhing around made it shift against his rim and rub around deep inside. 

Tears prickled at his eyes. This wouldn’t end well. Not only was he headed right back towards the experiment that the creature’s escape interrupted, but now there might be punishment on top of it. Assuming he managed to live through whatever was about to happen. 

His head spun and a soft whine escaped him. He needed to be touched so badly. If the muzzle had been off, he would have begged. 

The creature started in place at the noise, its head tilted curiously. It, no, _he_ stepped slowly forward until he was standing just inches away from the Asset. 

He was even more beautiful up close. The Asset leaned towards him. That, too, would end badly, the Asset was sure, but he couldn’t stop himself.

A single finger touched his forehead, skin on skin. It was electric, and the Asset’s eyes rolled back into his head with the sheer _want_ that overtook him. His breath came out in heavy, shuddering gasps and he dug his teeth into the gag attached to the inside of the muzzle. 

That glorious light touch trailed across his eyebrow and down his covered cheek. As soon as the skin contact was lost, another whine broke free from the Asset. But the finger kept moving, down over his chest, and settling to a stop directly to the left of the Asset’s confined dick. He closed his eyes and tried to keep his breathing steady. An impossible task, especially give the fake cock shoved deep into his throat and the carefully roving finger rubbing back and forth along the crease between his groin and his thigh. 

“This. You like this?” The creature’s voice was deep and rich and lit up a thousand lights inside of the Asset’s head. But he couldn’t respond. Wouldn’t even have known how to even if his mouth were free. All he could do was whine softly and strain against his bonds. 

The gentle movement against his pants stopped and the Asset sighed with both disappointment and relief. But then there were hands on his face, on his muzzle, feeling along the straps. He couldn’t stop the hard flinch he gave at the contact. But instead of slaps and choking, the creature loosened the muzzle and carefully pried it off of him. 

The Asset automatically let his jaw go slack, releasing the thick phallus shaped inner gag from his mouth. For the first time in hours, maybe days, he was free to take deep, easy breaths. It was glorious and beautiful.

After several shuddering breaths, the Asset dared a look at the creature. He was examining the muzzle, brows furrowed in confusion.

“Why?” the creature asked, and held up the muzzle to the Asset.

It took a few tries to form words, but the Asset managed to choke them out. “They don’t like it when I talk. They like my mouth full.”

“What do you like?”

“It doesn’t matter. They use me how they want.” The words left an echo inside the Asset. They didn’t hurt, but there was this vague feeling that maybe they should have. 

Horror and understanding flooded the creature’s face. “So you’re like me. Another pet.” There was no good answer to that, so the Asset stayed silent. The creature shoved out his chin and pursed his lips. What a stubborn look. The hand that had, until now, just teased at the crease between the Asset’s groin and thigh moved to firmly cup the Asset’s cock. “And this. Is this theirs to use as they want too?”

At this point, hot tears prickled at the corner of the Asset’s eyes and he groaned like he was dying. It almost felt like he was. Hours and hours of both pain and pleasure, of drugs and suffering and nearly begging to come, and _finally_ someone was touching him there. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, oh please!” Try as he might, he couldn’t get any leverage, couldn’t force his body up into that tight grip.

The hand went away and the Asset sobbed. 

“They let you fight like this?” The creature sounded completely baffled. “But why?”

The Asset closed his eyes and let his head fall back as much as it could. “They use me how they want,” he said again. This time, despair filled his voice. There was no end for him and there never would be. If he had ever had hope that something might change, it had long been burnt out of him. Only an aching empty void, a bone deep certainty remained. This was his life. Going from torture to experiment to fire fight to cryo and back again. Forever. 

A hand caressed up his cheek and touched the thick stream of tears there. Far more gently than the Asset expected, the hand curled around the back of his head and lifted so that he was looking the creature right in the eye. Their faces were only inches away. 

His eyes were so blue. The brightest blue that the Asset had ever seen. 

“You don’t have to be their thing,” the creature whispered. 

This only made the tears flow faster. The Asset shook his head in confusion. Why would the creature bother with such a hilariously obvious lie?

A second hand touched over his lips, gently thumbing the red welts along the sides of his mouth. The sensation made his eyes flutter shut. It felt so good, these little gentle touches. He was never touched gently. 

Oh god, he wanted it though. More than anything. More than the need to get off, more than the urge to rut up into whatever was in front of him. He was starving for those little soft affections. It touched something inside of him that he didn’t think existed. 

“Please,” he whispered, though what he was now begging for he couldn’t rightly say. 

“Yes.” As soon as the word was out, a thousand tiny vines slithered into the Asset’s gear. They writhed and crawled and snaked their way across his skin, ripping and tearing at his tactical gear until finally he was naked. He was still bound and suspended, though only his limbs stayed covered with vines. His torso, ass, and groin lay bare, cock hard and slicked over with precome and chest heaving with his panting breath.

Before he could even shiver from being exposed to the cool air, the creature had slid into his space. They were so close the Asset could almost feel him, hovering on the edge of his skin’s awareness. He strained forward, needy for any touch he could get, but a vine wrapped around his throat. Tight, but not so much that he was in danger of choking.

“No. You stay put.” The creature’s voice was firm, but his demeanor softened. “I’ll take care of you. For right now. For as long as we can. But you have to stay still. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want you to hurt me, either. Okay?”

The Asset nodded furiously. Yes, anything would be okay as long as he was being touched.

A small voice in the back of his brain was screaming about The Mission, but it was completely drowned out by the feeling of fingers trailing down his chest. 

Slowly, strangely soft hands explored his body. The creature’s curious eyes roved with his fingers, taking in every quiver, every gasp. He traced along the seam of the Asset’s metal arm and down to his left nipple. The little bud was already hard and tight from far too much teasing. When the creature’s thumb rubbed over its firmness, the Asset cried out. A fresh gush of precome dribbled out of his pulsing cock. 

“Is that good?” The question seemed sincere, as if the creature genuinely didn’t know.

The Asset nodded violently. “So, so good. Please.”

A tiny smile quirked at the creature’s plush lips. “Yeah?” He ran his thumb over the Asset’s nipple again, back and forth. Then he circled around its perky hardness and then paused to gently squeeze. The bruises from earlier abuse had already faded, so the careful force caused nothing but pleasure. The Asset strained and twisted and moaned. He was on fire and it was glorious. Another spurt of precome shot out of him.

“Hmmmm. This...” The creature squeezed both of the Asset’s nipples and carefully stretched them out. Arching into the pull was impossible with how he was bound, but the Asset tried anyways. “This is good, yes?” 

The Asset nodded again. He wanted to come so badly, but he wasn’t sure if he was allowed. Granted, the techs didn’t specifically _say_ he wouldn’t be allowed. More they implied that it just wouldn’t happen. That meant there was a loophole in their orders.

It wasn’t really about potential punishment. The Asset knew he would be punished for this no matter what, whether he came or not. The real trick was ability. If they had ordered him, or worse, if they had used the Words and then ordered him, he would be unable to climax no matter how badly he wanted. But they hadn’t thought to do that, so the Asset still had the physical ability to orgasm. 

That didn’t make things much easier for him. He still had to ask, needed to ask. 

“Please. I need it.” Everything was hot and tender and oh god, he was so thirsty. His throat was dry as a desert but he couldn’t stop panting. 

The creature just tilted his head sideways. “I don’t know a lot about humans. Just what my creators showed me. You’ll have to tell me what you need.” He leaned forward just a touch, enough so his breath was on the Asset’s neck and the crease of his abs caught the very tip of the Asset’s cock. 

It was so good, so close to what the Asset needed. A massive shudder slithered through his body. He tilted his head back again, giving the creature access to his neck in a primal show of submission. After so many years of practice, the begging came naturally. “Please tell me I can come. I want it so bad. I’m so wet for you, full and ready. Please. Please.”

“Yes,” the creature said. “You have permission to do that. You can come. As much as you like, whenever you like.” He licked a stripe up the Asset’s neck and sighed into it. “You’re so beautiful. My creators tried this with me, but I never wanted it like I do with you. Why is that?” He pulled again at the Asset’s nipples, alternating tugs with rolling the puffy flesh between his fingers. 

“Ah, ah, ah, please!” The Asset gasped and moaned with every movement. He wished he could roll his hips, twist and turn so the plug inside of him would help rub him off, but he was stuck. All he could do was take whatever the creature gave him and beg. 

His pleas seemed to fall on receptive ears, though, because the creature moved closer, slotting their hips together. Not only did it give the Asset the additional skin contact that he craved, but it also meant he could feel the creature’s hard cock next to his own. 

It was enough that with one more pull and pinch, the Asset was coming. He threw his head back as far as he could and moaned like a dying thing. Come flowed out of him in huge spurts, painting up both of their stomachs. The creature never stopped rubbing and pulling on him, teasing his sensitive nipples and dragging their dicks together.

The Asset lost track of things for a few moments while he rode the pleasure. When his orgasm finally started to taper off, he recognized the creature’s voice in his ear.

“Good. That was good. So lovely and tasty and sweet. You’re so needy and ready. So beautiful. You did so good.”

Every word of it went straight to his dick, still hard and impossibly still leaking fluids. A happy warmth coiled up inside of him with the praise. He was almost never praised. Never touched so softly, like he might damage if handled with too much vigor. 

“Thank you. Oh, fuck, yes, thank you.” Words tumbled out of him in a soft babble as the Asset relaxed back into the vine’s hold. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. Everything was good and warm and oh-so-light. Like he was floating on a cloud. The burning need inside of him was still there, but it had dialed down for a moment. 

Vines moved all around him, massaging his limbs and readjusting where his weightload sat. As they moved, a few brushed against the plug in his ass. The muscles there had long since stretched out to the point where it was firmly settled into place, but the feeling of those vines rubbing against it made him tighten up for a moment. He moaned a bit at the solid fullness inside of him. His rim was sore and stretched, still coated with come from the techs. 

“This. Why is this here?” Again, the creature sounded honestly puzzled. “Is it hurting you?”

That...was complicated. The Asset struggled to find an answer. “It is there because they want it there. They. They like me open. So they can fuck me. They like to test and. And…” He shook his head. There was too much, too many things that the plug inside of him meant. 

The creature’s hands moved slowly and easily up his sides, petting him almost. Soothing him. Breath tickled at the Asset’s neck again. He shivered from the feather-light feel of it.

“Tell me what you need. I don’t want to hurt you. All anyone ever does here is hurt. I just want to grow and be happy and maybe make others happy too. Tell me how to make you happy.” 

Big tears welled up and streamed down the Asset’s face. No one had ever wanted him to be happy before. It took a few moments for the implications of that to really sink in. To be happy. Maybe less hurting. Less pain and killing. To be well kept, as a treasured item. “I wish you could,” he said finally. Then, with a whisper, “I wish I was your Asset.”

It was impossible. He was Hydra’s, blood and bone.

“You could be,” the creature whispered. 

The Asset shook his head. “Impossible. I. I can’t. I can’t even think it because _they won’t let me_.” He looked miserably up into the creature’s beautiful, kind blue eyes. “They’ll punish me for even wishing for it.”

There was a stubborn clench to the creature’s jaw and he furrowed his brow at the Asset. “We could leave together.” 

The Asset shook his head. “Either you will kill me and leave, or I will kill you.” Despair and resignation lined every word. 

“I could knock you unconscious…”

Mission failure. He could not fail. No matter what, he could not fail. The Asset started to shake all over in terror. “No! I would keep hunting you. They’d say the Words that make me empty and I’d have no choice. Either I die, or you die and I am punished.” 

Vines tightened painfully around the Asset and forced a wince out of him. The creature wrapped his arms around the Asset’s torso and licked a strip up the Asset’s neck. 

“I’m keeping you,” the creature said darkly. “They’ve treated you as badly or worse than they’ve treated me, and I’m keeping you. We’ll have a nice garden where we can both spread out and grow.”

The Asset couldn’t picture it, but oh, he wanted to. Warmth and no pain and maybe even food. Impossible. It would never happen. 

But just for right now, he could dream. 

“I’d be such a good Asset. There would be food and maybe a blanket. No techs to hurt us or test new things.” He shuddered around the words, moaning again as a new wave of desire made his skin light up.

“That’s right,” the creature said as it loosened the bonds on the Asset. Their cocks were still flush against each other, wet and warm from all of the come from the Asset’s release. A single vine crept around them both, wrapping their dicks up and creating a tight, wet passage.

Not that the Asset could move enough to take advantage of it. But the creature could, and did. He slowly shifted his hips, rutting them both into the narrow space. As soon as he started pumping, the Asset lost all ability to talk. It felt so amazing, so hot, all he could do was moan. His eyes rolled back into his head and he lost himself to the smell of sex and flowers. 

All the while, soft fingers ran through his hair and quiet words were whispered in close to his ear. 

“...be mine. We’ll be safe together. I’ll make sure of it. Come on. Come for me again. Let our fluids mix so I’ll always know you, no matter how much time passes. Come for me…”

With a short scream of pleasure, the Asset did. He was floating again. Sparks danced behind his eyelids and his arm recalibrated slowly under all the vines. A hand held up the back of his head and he leaned into its touch. His heartbeat sounded like a cannon going off in his chest, each beat pulsing through him as he rode out his pleasure. 

His dick was so sensitive and the plug inside him felt massive. He must have clenched down while he was coming, because all the muscles around the plug ached from being forced against so immovable an object. 

But when a few vines slithered up to the edge of his rim, he realized that he had moved the plug. It was pushed out a good inch, forcing his anal ring open to the widest point on the plug. Its metal surface was burningly hot against his rim after being held inside of him for so long. Try as he might, he couldn’t move it. His muscles were stretched too far, and his ass already too loose from the hours of assfucking and plugging he’d already withstood. 

The Asset wiggled in place a bit, frustrated and nearly sobbing with how his aching hole pulsed with his heart beat. He needed...he wasn’t sure what he needed. In or out, he would gladly take anything as long as his ass got a little attention. 

“Beautiful.” Admiration filled the creature’s voice and feather-light kisses pecked up and down his neck and jaw. One of the hands reached down to dip into their come and spread it all across the Asset’s chest. “There. Soak in my pollen. It will keep you safe from everyone but me, or as safe as I can make you anyways. Mark you as mine.”

“What?” The word came out as a croak as the Asset scrambled to try and put together a coherent thought. Everything was full and tight. Every nerve inside of him was on fire with pleasure and he was still painfully hard. Nothing made sense. His brain was flung adrift as he tried to cope with the sensations racing through him. 

He needed it. _He needed it._

“You said you wished you were mine,” the creature answered with perfect logic. “Now we just have to make that happen.”

The Asset’s eyes fluttered and he bit his lower lip. Their bodies rocked together as the creature caressed him from neck to toes. If it was more vines or the creature’s human hands that were doing the touching, the Asset couldn’t tell. Tiny little gasps of need slowly worked out of him. His skin felt hot, burningly hot, and the vines binding him bit into his skin just enough to make him feel it. They reminded him that he was safe. He wouldn’t be expected to do anything, not while he was bound up. The Asset couldn’t attempt to kill the creature, thus bringing an end to the creature pleasuring him. Nor did he feel like the creature would do anything but make him feel good while he was bound. 

It was a novel experience. One the Asset wished he could repeat more often.

“Please.” His voice sounded completely wrecked, gravelly and rough like he’d been sucking dick for days. With every little wiggle and twist, the solid girth of the plug stayed firmly in place. It was maddening, especially when the Asset wanted to be fucked so badly. “The plug. I need. Please.”

There was an odd creaking noise that came from all around, almost like a purr made of shifting wood. Soft tendrils wrapped around the edge of the metal plug inside of him and slowly _pulled_. 

“Oh, ohhh, ohhhhh!” With every inch pulled out of him, the Asset’s voice went a bit higher, gasping in both pleasure and relief. It felt like it took forever for the plug to come out. A rush of fluids poured out of him as soon as it fell free and his rim fluttered weakly. He was open, so, so open, to the point where he couldn’t even attempt to tighten up. Air trickled in, cool against his come-soaked insides. 

Before he could get used to the sensation, he was filled again, this time by several supple vines. Their cool slim lengths coiled about each other, writhing inside of him and stuffing him as far as he could go. They rubbed and twisted. Unlike the smooth metal plug, the bumpy edges of the vines worked over the Asset’s prostate with every single movement, sending lightning shocks of pleasure up through him. He twisted around, though he couldn’t tell if he was trying to get away or get closer. 

There was a sound echoing around the room. After a moment, he realized it was his own screams as he was coming again, gushing hot liquid all over them both. It hurt so good, bright against his nerves like nothing he’d ever felt before. He tugged and strained against the vines around his arms, pulled against the one wrapped around his neck. So violent was his thrashing that his vision started to dim under the strain he was putting on his throat. 

“Shhhhhhh,” the creature said softly to him. The vines’ movements slowed as his orgasm faded away. “Easy. That’s right. Take deep breaths. Relax. I’ve got you. You can have as much pleasure from me as you like, all that I can give you. I won’t hold back.”

Sweet relief poured over the Asset with those words. He wouldn’t be left wanting like he had been for the last who knows how long. The creature wouldn’t torment him like the techs did. That alone was enough to win the Asset’s gratitude. 

But gratitude wasn’t enough. _Finish the mission, finish the mission, finish the mission_ pounded in the back of his mind. He struggled briefly against his bonds again before laying still. A sad keening sound clawed its way out of him. 

The creature sighed. “Still trying to kill me?”

It took several tries for the Asset to speak. “I must follow my orders. Even if. Even if.” Water was at his eyes again and he licked his dry lips. Every part of him ached. His dick was sore and sensitive and his balls tender from all the orgasms in relatively rapid succession. There was a dull hurt from his limbs where he’d struggled against his bindings. Not just the vines, but also leftover pain from the cutting way the techs had strung him up earlier. “Thirsty. Please.” 

As soon as the last two words left his mouth, the Asset was shifted towards the tanks. A small trickle of water dripped down from the top inside of the broken tank.

“Open.” The Asset obeyed. A single vine coiled down from the top of the tank and moved directly into the trail of water. Then it grew out and towards the Asset, the end of the vine coming to rest right at his lips. The water followed along the vine’s length and dribbled right into the Asset’s mouth.

It was sweet and cold and clean. He drank for what seemed like ages, with the creature carefully waiting for him to have his fill. Hands and vines stroked down his sides and back, petting him. Several thick lengths were still firmly lodged up his ass, but the drug-inspired desire was a distant second to the thirst that raged in him. 

After he was done, he closed his mouth and let the trickle run down his face and onto his chest. How often did he get a drink of water that wasn’t from the cleaning hoses? He couldn’t remember. Truthfully, he couldn’t remember a lot of things. But even as bound as he was, he felt more cared for in that moment than he thought he ever had been. 

Eventually the trickling water caused him to shiver, and he was moved away from the tanks. 

His cock was still hard, but it was painfully tender, too. Loose coils of vines still wrapped around it, but he wasn’t bound to the creature’s dick anymore. 

A gentle finger trailed over his lips, bringing his attention to the creature’s face. 

“When your need is sated, I will let you go.” Horror coiled through the Asset. He didn’t want to hurt the creature, but if he was released, he would. “No, shhh. It’ll be alright. Tell me what your orders are so we can find a way to work around them.”

Relief washed through him. He could do that.

“Find what killed the techs here. Kill it. Burn it. Burn as much extra as I need to.” Simple. Terrible. “Then I go back to the experiment room.”

The creature looked like he’d been punched in the gut. Then he visibly pulled himself back together. “Alright. What if you only burn _part_ of me?”

Shock flowed through the Asset. He opened his mouth to refute it… then paused. They didn’t say the Words. He struggled as he thought it through. The urge to finish his mission was there, even without the Words’ enforcement. The Asset always, _always_ , followed orders. But right then he desperately didn’t want to. 

Just thinking about disobeying caused pained shudders to fly up his spine. It didn’t matter what he wanted. He would try to kill the creature.

But he didn’t have to succeed. 

The thought startled him into stillness. He could try to kill the creature and just _fail_. There would be punishment, of course. Horrifying punishment. 

But he would be punished anyways, so what did it matter?

He licked his lips and tried to think things through. The heat was building inside of him again and he squirmed around it. Already he was starting to wonder what the Strike Team outside had heard. When they would decide enough was enough and come in. How much time did they have to do this? 

The traitorous part of him that was still deeply under the effects of whatever drug he’d been given tried not to think about the Strike Team busting in and using him along with the creature. What it would feel like to get fucked again and again, but being allowed to come as often as he wished. Maybe with the creature there to keep everyone sweet, keep the pain away.

He didn’t want their hands on him, their dicks inside him. But at the same time, his body craved it. Tears welled up in his eyes. Now wasn’t the time to think about it. He had to _focus_.

“How much of you needs to escape? How much?” The Asset’s mind was going about a thousand miles a second trying to plot out every possibility. 

“I won’t leave without you,” the creature said stubbornly.

“You have to. I can’t---” The Asset took a slow shaky breath. “There is no out for me. The best I can do is maybe, _maybe_ leave a way open for you to get out.” The creature’s jaw jutted out and his eyes narrowed. But if the creature stayed, he would die, one way or the other. “Please.”

The creature’s mouth twisted, but he dropped his eyes and nodded. “My main form, I think. The vines and leaves will grow back.” The creature licked his lips nervously. Plush, beautiful lips. Lips the Asset wanted to taste. 

“We’ll have to fight. Make it look good for my handlers,” the Asset said, and then twisted against the vines inside of him. Everything was starting to get hot and tingly again, and his breath picked up in response. 

The creature nodded in resignation. 

This next bit was a gamble. The Asset wasn’t sure that the creature would even care. But...so far, the creature had shown more kindness than his tech and handlers ever did. It was worth the attempt. “The more you hurt me, the less I’ll be hurt later. Trust me, whatever you can do to me would be easier to take than their punishment.” He pleaded with his eyes. 

A heavy sigh came out of the creature as he bowed his head and butted it gently into the Asset’s chest. “I don’t want to. But. If you say it will help. I...I will.”

Relief poured through the Asset and he closed his eyes for a moment. “Thank you,” he said quietly. He swallowed hard and opened his eyes again. “The vents and doors are all reinforced, but the air duct for the chemical hood probably won’t be. I’ll toss a grenade up there. You’ll be able to crawl out. We’ll fight. You’ll hurt me. I’ll light your vines and the room on fire.”

“Won’t they see smoke coming out of my exit?”

The Asset smiled crookedly at him. “It’s only my job to kill, not to contain---”

Before he could finish that thought, another rush of fire blazed through his veins. His eyes rolled back into his head and he moaned long and low. He couldn’t stop fighting against the vines that held him. Every part of him screamed out for some kind of friction, any little touch would do. Anything that might give him the release he craved. 

“I’ve got you,” the creature whispered. He ducked close and licked up the column of the Asset’s neck, peppering the skin there with little kisses and nuzzles. Each touch burned into him, making him that much harder. Fingers dug into the Asset’s sides and ass, pulling at him. He hoped they would leave marks, something he could carry with him back to the experiment room. 

The vines in his ass began to writhe again. Each thrust inside of him squeezed out another dribble of come that had been left by the techs. It was so wet and good, the Asset panted with each movement. But it wasn’t enough. He needed the stretch, wanted to feel the burn and pull of being filled up more than he could handle. “More,” he moaned. “Get in me. Want to feel you inside of me for days, no matter what they do to me after. _Fuck me._ ”

The creature let out a breathy groan and bit into the Asset’s chest, teeth framing one of his nipples. It hurt so good, so sharp and hot that the Asset’s cock twitched and spurted. Before the Asset could catch his breath, something large and bulbous started to squeeze into his already filled up ass. 

But he could still feel the creature’s cock rubbing into his hip. A little confused sound escaped him, and the creature purred into his ear. A hand tightened in his hair, forcing his head forward and down.

“That’s right. Look at us. Watch me make you mine.” The low voice sent shivers through the Asset and he pried open his eyes to see where they were joined. 

Vines coiled all around his body, and several thin tendrils wrapped around his purpling cock. It looked painfully swollen, freely dripping fluids from the tip. Just seeing it made him try to twitch his hips forward, but he was held fast. Golden come, pollen from the creature, was smeared down his front, filthy and heavenly at the same time and smelling faintly of flowers. He wanted to lick it, run his tongue all over himself, scoop it up off of his chest and see if it tasted as good as it smelled. 

Several thin vines all converged under his balls, wriggling around and squeezing into his ass. He could feel each one of them nudge and rub against him. Given what he’d felt when they pushed in, that was sort of what he’d expected to see, though it was still sort of astonishing. What he wasn’t expecting was the thick stalk that was now pressing into that vine bundle, trying to edge its way in alongside the smaller vines. The end of the stalk had swelled into a fat round bulb, almost like a large flower bud. Viscous white sap leaked from the tip and edges of the vine. Just imagining that thing inside of him made the Asset cry out and nod his head furiously. He would be so full, fuller than he’d ever been, and for the first time it would be with someone who wasn’t trying to hurt him. Coming with that thing inside him would be amazing. He wondered if his rim would even have the strength to tighten against it, or if he’d just be a quivering mess. Maybe he’d be able to milk that stalk when he came, his rhythmic clenching drawing out that thick sap. He wondered how it would taste afterwards, if he could fit it down his throat. Would the creature be able to see the heavy bud expanding in his neck? The Asset wanted to know, wanted to feel the breath getting fucked out of him. 

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, please put it in me, please, make me your Asset,” he babbled. Everything felt impossibly good, each nerve screamed with overstimulation, pushed so far past pleasure that he felt like he was being flayed. 

The heavy bud pressed again against the Asset’s rim. The pressure felt impossible. There was no way it would fit, no matter how badly he wanted it to. But it pushed and pushed. More thick sap dripped from its tip, turning the smaller vines around it a frothy white. 

“Relax,” the creature whispered in his ear. One hand kept the Asset’s head still, forcing him to watch the penetration, while the other played with his bitten up nipple. Each little fondle went straight to the Asset’s cock and it twitched and spurted and dripped. The vines that were already inside of him kept rubbing, forcing that steady stream of precome to keep flowing down his cockhead. Dimly the Asset was aware that he was begging, pleading until his mouth went dry again, but it was a far off, distant thing. 

The pressure increased and the Asset’s rim gave way, forcing a scream out of him. He couldn’t believe that it actually fit; it was too big. But seeing that massive intrusion only made him hotter. His rim stretched and burned as it slowly pressed inward. Right when it had pressed the widest point of the bud into him, the Asset came. Come spurted out over and over in time with his heart, each beat a thunderous roar that drowned out everything else. Everything was static around him, and he felt like he was drifting away.

Before he could even start to come down from his orgasm, the bud pressed farther into him. His greedy hole sucked it right up, closing around the slightly thinner stalk that the bud grew out of. Fuck, he was so full. Stretched far past the point where he thought he could be, and lit aglow with the delightful burning stretch. There was a bright point of pain right where it all pressed up against the Asset’s prostate, sensitive and raw from all the attention it had already gotten. His chest tightened as he forced himself to keep breathing, working himself through the shock of being so full. He couldn’t ever remember feeling so good, didn’t think that he ever had.

There the creature waited, all the vines held still as the Asset adjusted to what was inside of him, his deep shuddering breaths slowly evening out to needier gasps. The Asset’s cock was still hard, slick and shiny with his come. The slit at the end was gaping and wet, swollen open after so many orgasms. Each little tendril around it felt like a brand on his skin. 

“You like this?” the creature asked, his voice a soft coo whispered right into the Asset’s ear. 

The Asset tried to nod, but the hand in his hair brought him up short. Everything was good. So good. He was filled, owned, maybe loved for the first time. He’d asked and the creature had given it to him. The absolute wonder of that simple fact left the Asset devastated and astounded. He licked his lips and tried to speak. His throat clicked dryly. It was torturous being held so still, but still left wanting. The pleasure and the burning and the sweet pain all blended together in the Asset’s mind. He swallowed and tried again.

“Yes. Wish. I wish it was always like this. Want you in me, every part of me.” The words came out dry and raspy, but the way the creature curled in around him made the Asset feel like it was good that he said them. The creature’s eyes fluttered closed and he moaned, low and deep, the sound echoed by rustling leaves and creaking branches all around them. Everything tightened for a moment as the Asset was crushed against the creature in a massive hug; the huge intrusion shifted inside him, making his eyes roll back into his head briefly. Pleasure, surprise, and exquisite agony ripped a helpless moan out of him.

“It will be. We can make it happen,” the creature said, nuzzling into the Asset’s neck. His voice was low and sweet, and each little breath tickled against the Asset’s throat. All of the vines shifted just the tiniest bit, adjusting around him like a full body caress. Even the massive stalk and bud inside of him twisted a bit, forcing another shuddering moan from him. “I’ll find us a safe place. Grow us a garden where Hydra will never find us, and then I’ll come back for you. Steal you away…”

It was too good to be true. Could never happen, not in a thousand years. But the way the Asset was strung up, bound and held and stuffed more than he’d ever been, it was hard not to believe the creature. He wanted it, too. So badly. That want mixed in with the all-encompassing pleasure that thrummed through him, heightening it, making his mind fly. 

He shivered and moaned. At this point he couldn’t even attempt to get out of the vines binding him. Every muscle was limp, wracked with pleasure and exhaustion. He thrashed feebly as the vines continued to shift, working him over one millimeter at a time. The vines deep in his ass twisted, slowly turning, giving his prostate and rim more stimulation than he thought possible. He couldn’t keep his eyes open, the sensation was just too much, too good. On top of it all was the creature’s hand in his hair, stroking, pulling, teasing and moving. He was being petted and yanked and it was so glorious.

He wished it would never end. 

Somewhere along the line he realized that the creature was still talking, soft words that blended into an endless stream of comfort and lust. “...always be like this. Me inside of you, whenever you want. However you want. I’d fuck you so good, spread my pollen all over you. Let you drink my nectar, make you strong and fill you up with sweet fluids. So beautiful, golden and breathless and mine…”

The vines inside of him shifted again, surging deep into him and forcing his spine to straighten out, an instinctive reaction to try and accommodate the huge girth of those vines. His breath hitched at the painful pleasure of it. Almost right away he was trying to shift back down on them, eagerly chasing the pulsing heat inside of him. It was so fucking huge, filling him up so good. His mouth was open, tongue out as he panted and whined.

“You need something in your mouth, my flower?” There was a hint of teasing in the creature’s voice, both good natured and coy at the same time. The Asset nodded, tears stinging in his eyes. To have something to suck on, maybe something sweet and thick, owning every part of him, every hole. Anything of the creature’s would do. He looked at the creature with blurred eyes and laid out his tongue flat, welcoming as he’d been taught. The creature shivered next to him and groaned. “Oh look at you, my perfect rose. I’ll always give you anything you need. I want to so bad.”

The praise sent a bolt of pleasure down his spine, making his cock twitch up and down and drooling fluids everywhere. He whined softly, eager for whatever he could get. Oddly enough, he believed the creature’s promises.

Another thick stalk, complete with fluid oozing flower bud, slithered up one of his vine-wrapped legs. He tracked its progress eagerly, mouth already salivating at the thought of sucking it down. Drool started to pool in his mouth and drip a little over his lips, but he dared not take his tongue back in. He needed, wanted, to be open and ready. 

Before he could get too caught up in watching what was coming for his mouth, the thick vines in his ass twisted and thrust into him. His eyes fluttered closed as he moaned into the feeling, hot and wanton all over. It was just so heavy and full, pressing up against his prostate, against every part of him. His head lolled in pleasure, held upright only by the creature’s hand in his hair. 

He barely noticed that he had left his mouth open on reflex, but then there was that thick bud pressing in. It nudged at his lips first, carefully testing out its welcome. The Asset immediately tried to suck the fat bud in, laving his tongue up around the leaking seams. Honey sweet flavor burst across his senses, more sugary and delicious than anything he’d ever tasted before. He needed it in his mouth, all the way, as soon as possible. Straining against the vine still wrapped around his neck, he arched his mouth forward, making little, _uh, uh, uh_ sounds with every breath. 

“That’s right,” the creature said, voice rough and low. “ _Hnnng_ you look so good like that. Take it in. I wanna see me shoved into your pretty mouth.” 

Fingers tightened in his hair as the bud surged in, forcing his jaw wide and filling his mouth up far more than he expected. The honey-like fluid chased away the last bitter vestiges of the Hydra tech’s come, and the Asset sucked at it eagerly. This was heaven, or as close as a thing like him was likely to get. Tears flowed freely down his face as he tried to work it farther into his throat, sucking deeply and running his tongue under the base of the bud the whole time. He’d long ago perfected deepthroating, and breathing carefully through his nose was second nature to him. If that failed as well, the Asset knew he could hold his breath for a very long time. His pulse pounded in his ears and the creature’s soft words turned into a distant drone. Slowly, the stalk eased in deeper, hitting the back of his throat, and then pushing a little further, cutting off his breath. It didn’t stay there for long; instead, it moved back and forth, just barely fucking that deepest part of his mouth. The Asset’s head roared with pleasure. Everything felt so good, tasted so good. He was stuffed, bound tightly, and filled in ways he’d never dared imagine before. 

Just when he thought he couldn’t get any fuller, that there couldn’t be any more sensation wrung out of him, a wet, sucking mouth enveloped his cock, taking it right down to the base. At the same time, the stalks inside the Asset’s mouth and ass thrusted hard inward. A muffled scream boiled out of him as he came harder than he’d ever come before. Each part of him was sucked, stroked, and fucked. Every nerve was burning with bliss. He was beyond feeling anything but the pleasure that erupted from him. It lasted and lasted, come pumped out of him in burst after burst, and sweet honey flowed into him as well. It gushed into his ass, flooding him, oozing and dripping out and down the vines that were still pumping furiously into him. The honey filled his throat, that stalk so deeply inside of him that he couldn’t even swallow; only let it pour into him straight into his stomach. Lack of air made his head pound and sparks flew behind his eyelids. The pleasure of it all was mind melting, and the Asset never wanted it to stop. 

By the time his body stopped convulsing, the Asset was full on trembling. The vines in his ass had slowed to a stop, and the one in his mouth had eased out of his throat and rested on his tongue, keeping him filled but no longer choking him. The vine on his cock, for that’s what it had to be, kept sucking though; long, slow swallows that milked every last drop of come out of the Asset’s overworked balls. At first, all he could hear was the creature’s harsh, panting breaths, but soon the whispered praise started up again, making his breath catch in his chest. 

The Asset was floating on the sensation of it all. With that last orgasm, it was like every iota of strength he possessed had fled him. He was weak, vulnerable, but for the first time, protected too. He loved every second of it. He basked in the warmth all around him, high off of how good it all felt. He didn’t want it to end. Not ever. 

Time stretched as he was caressed and milked. Some small part of him was screaming from the over stimulation, from the heavy, aching exhaustion that filled every fiber of his being, but all of that felt so far away. All he could really feel was the pleasure and the comfort of being so thoroughly sated and held. Even the fire in his veins had died down, leaving only fuzzy warmth in its place. 

Slowly the stalk in his mouth eased out. He whimpered at the loss, but before he could become too distressed, the creature was there. Tiny little kisses and licks were peppered around his mouth, both grounding him and letting him fly a little more at the same time. In between each little kiss came praise.

“My beautiful flower. So wonderful. You did so well. Perfect for me. Perfect.” The Asset moaned at the words; each one was a jolt straight through him. His cock tried to twitch, but it was still being suckled at. Small tendrils wrapped around his aching balls, gently massaging them and softly rubbing right behind them, urging him towards one more release.

He couldn’t do it, no matter how good it felt. He wanted it so badly, but he was too exhausted to move. Too tired to do more than whine and nod his head over and over, as the pleasure slowly built inside of him again. He needed it. The creature’s vines and fingers and buds, all of it. 

The idea that they could do this without his masters forcing his pleasure was intoxicating. Right then, with the creature’s help, the Asset was _disobeying_. He was going to get off without any input from a single one of his handlers. The sheer gall of it left him giddy and made every single touch from the creature that much more electric. 

“That’s right. One more time for me. Love how you feel, tight and hot around me. Now that the poison is all out of your system, give me one more. Let me suck down your pure seed, let me taste you. I want to taste you so badly.” The creature licked and whispered and touched. Fingers stroked around where he was impaled by all those vines, sending electric little shocks up to his groin. The large stalk inside of him pressed and twisted, focing that pressure inside of him to build and build. Every one of the vines binding him carefully moved, small, measured stimulations that never crossed over the threshold of being more painful than he could manage. 

It was like his body was made of thick heavy cotton. He couldn’t move, couldn’t stop the oncoming orgasm. A deep smouldering heat filled him up, tightening his skin, and drawing out small twitches of his hips. He was blind and deaf to everything but the words in his ear and the ever growing pressure in his groin. It was coming. 

He moaned and whined, but even those sounds were soft, desperate things, easily drowned out by the rustling of leaves, the creature’s heavy breath, and the obscene squelch of the vines moving inside of him.

Too soon after the last release, he was coming.

It hurt; overwhelming, amazingly good and incredibly painful all at the same time. He gasped and cried like he was dying, and it really felt like he was. This orgasm didn’t last long; it burned through him and was sucked right out of him by the creature’s vines. 

Everything was blurry and the Asset may have lost consciousness for a few moments. He tried to lift his head and discovered that he had been moved to a reclining position. The creature’s human form was stretched out next to him, hands and vines trailing up and down the Asset’s torso and running through his hair. 

“Perfect,” the creature said, moaning the word into the Asset’s chest.

Some of the smaller vines eased out of the Asset’s ass, one at a time, giving him time to adjust to their absence. Finally only the large stalk remained. It slid out with a wet _squish_ and the Asset could feel a veritable river of fluids flow out of him. Still, he cried at the loss. He was too empty, and worse then that was the knowledge that the vines were gone. He wanted the creature still inside of him, a part of him. 

He must have been whimpering, because the creature cuddled him close. “Shhh, no, it’s alright.”

“P-p-p-ple--- S-s-stay,” the Asset whispered, the first sane words he’d been able to get out in what felt like ages. 

Vines trembled all around him as the creature shuddered into him. After two deep breaths, the creature said, “You tempt me more than anything I’ve ever encountered. I want to give you everything. My vines, my fingers, my cock. Make you mine, always.” 

Pleasure rolled over him as the creature bit into his pec, tongue lapping at his nipple squeezed between unforgiving teeth. There was a second bite, and then a third, each one sending bolts of pleasure and heat to the Asset’s gut.

The creature nuzzled into him, rubbing his cheek into one of the rapidly healing bite marks. Then he shifted around, up and over the Asset, resting his weight in between the Asset’s legs. That’s when the Asset noticed the creature’s human cock was still hard. It slid easily into him, large though it was, and the creature moaned above him, fingers digging into his skin. The Asset was so loose and wet that the creature’s cock felt soothing inside of him. Hot and firm. Enough to fill, but not so much that it taxed his already over-stretched ass. A soft, happy sigh escaped him and his eyes fluttered closed in pleasure. He loved the creature inside of him, so sweet and hard.

“Yesss. My beautiful flower.” The creature’s hands roamed up the Asset’s torso and settled around his neck, the tips of his fingers cradling the Asset’s head like it was made of spun glass. Feeling that delicate constriction only made the Asset think about that thick bud shoved in his throat. Too tired to even shudder, the Asset let out a deep low moan at the thought. He licked his sticky lips, chasing the flavor of the nectar he’d swallowed. 

It took another few moments for the Asset to realize that the creature was slowly fucking in and out of him. Everything was still so hazy, his mind buoyed along an ocean of euphoria. The gentle thrusts of the creature’s cock only registered as distant pleasure, the same as the vines that were petting up and down his sides and the carefully soft suckling of his dick. As good as it felt, his cock was well and truly spent; only the faintest twitch marked how much he loved what was happening. He felt so cared for, owned, _safe_ in a way that surpassed anything he’d ever felt with Hydra. 

The Asset realized then that he wanted to be safe like this forever. To be cared for and pleasured and petted gently.

As he drifted, the creature’s petting and thrusting finally was stilled and a fresh burst of warmth filled him. The heat of it reached all the way down to his toes, making the Asset want to squirm and purr. He imagined that every trace of the Hydra techs inside of him had been flushed away by the creature’s golden pollen. Likely impossible, considering how thoroughly and repeatedly he’d been fucked by them, but a pleasant thing to consider nonetheless. 

A heavy weight settled on him, and he cracked his eyes open long enough to see the creature snuggling into his chest. His face and chest were flushed and sweat clung to his skin. A small smile curled at his lips, making the Asset irrationally proud that he’d been the one to put that smile there. Little puffs of breath tickled the Asset’s neck as they lay together, and soft vines and fingers trailed up and down his skin. He reveled in it all, and sighed happily. 

Even though the creature’s cock was softening inside of him, he didn’t pull out. This tickled the Asset to no end. The thought that his body was bringing joy and comfort to this being that had given him so much pleasure made him glow with happiness. He loved being filled up like this, warm and wet and drenched in pleasure. From the happy rustling and humming from the creature, he was enjoying it too. 

They stayed entangled for another while, though how long exactly it was the Asset couldn’t say. Bit by bit, awareness and thought came back to him, and with them the knowledge that this brief happy time was nearly at an end. He could hear the leaves rustle and the vines on the walls shift. Sweat and come and pollen were starting to cool on his skin, but the sensation didn’t concern him much. 

Soon enough, the creature would have to make his escape, and the Asset would have to go back to his handlers. Then the torture and experimentation would start up again. Endless and eternal. 

At least he’d be able to do this. He could help the creature escape. Despite all the death and pain in the Asset’s world, he’d be responsible for allowing a little good to flourish, even if it was far, far away from him. 

He didn’t want this moment to end, though. The mere thought of it closed up his throat and made his eyes burn. It didn’t matter, shouldn’t matter. He wouldn’t remember any of this past the next wipe anyways. 

Even still, he nuzzled into the creature’s soft hair and breathed in the smell of nectar and flowers. He wanted to capture every bit of this he could before it was replaced by horror. 

“I wish you could stay inside of me forever,” he said quietly. Leaves rustled around him and the soft _drip-drip_ of the water from the tank echoed in the room. The vines around him shifted a bit, and the creature turned up his face to look at him. “As soon as I go back, they’re gonna start up the experiment again. The drugs and the fucking. They invited Strike to help.” He was too tired to shiver, but disgust, fear, and resignation still clawed up his spine. 

The creature hummed disapprovingly and narrowed his eyes. “...There might be something I can do. I don’t know if it will work. My pollen is on you, bound to your blood and bones by now. It’ll keep them from touching you...but it won’t stop them from entering you with other things.” He glanced to the side, eyebrows wrinkled in dismay, and the Asset thought about the metal plug that had been shoved in him.

Whatever the creature could or couldn’t do, the Asset would accept it. He’d already gotten a larger reprieve than he ever expected to. 

Strangely enough, though, the urge to complete his mission had dwindled to nearly nothing. There was still a vague feeling that he should be doing something, but that was it. He briefly wondered if it had something to do with the drug they gave him. Or perhaps how much pleasure the creature had wrung out of him. As much as he loathed and feared his punishment, he would have done almost anything to feel that pleasure again. Maybe it was a combination of all of those things. 

Either way, when the creature slowly began to loosen some of the vines on his limbs, the Asset simply stayed limp, content to eek out as much rest as he could before the pain started again. Soon there were only a few limbs holding him. Most supported him off of the floor, but a few thin vines still wrapped around his wrists and ankles. The vine around his neck remained as well, and the Asset was surprised with how happy that made him. 

For right now, he was still the creature’s Asset.

When the creature moved away from his body, the Asset keened at the loss. He was still so wet and open; it felt wrong to not be filled. 

“Shh, my flower,” the creature said, sliding two of his fingers into the Asset’s hole. The Asset’s eyes briefly rolled back into his head as he shivered from the movement against his sore flesh. Now that the post-orgasm buzz was starting to fade, he was noticing just how much he ached. The creature hummed again in thought, all the while absently moving his fingers in little circles, tracing the edges of the Asset’s rim, each little movement forcing a little _uh_ sound out of the Asset. His opening was so sore, puffy and aching from how much it had been stretched, but the creature’s fingers were a soothing balm. There was mild pain, but a great deal more pleasure, and it hurt in the best way. The vine sheath on his cock slowed its suckling again, so that it was just a warm grip on his cock, minutely pulsing in time with the creature’s fingers. He wanted to writhe around, but he was too spent. All he could do was take it. 

“I could leave some of my vines with you, in you. They would not restrict your natural body processes, but they would stop any other intrusion…” The creature’s voice dropped to a deep growl and he sped up the circling of his fingers. “I do love to see you filled up by me. Makes me so hot all over, like the sun has been on me all day. Can you picture that? A little part of me always there, keeping you safe and full. Touching you. Fucking you if you need it.” 

That image replayed itself over and over in the Asset’s mind. To always have the creature’s vines inside of him. Moving around. The handlers and techs might drug him again, sure, and they could still fuck his face, but the vines would be there protecting at least part of him. No doubt once they saw the plants as well, they’d probably devise some way to be rid of them. But until then, the Asset would be free from their brutal rape. 

“Yes. Please,” he whispered. The creature grinned, wide and feral. Fantasies of what those implanted vines could do to him raced through his mind. If he was drugged again, the vines could rub up inside of him, so no matter how Hydra tried to deny him pleasure, he would still come. Maybe they would pleasure him anyways, slowly working in and out of him while he was waiting in a sniper position. One could reach out and around to grip his cock, touch him when he himself was commanded not to. Work him over, stroke him up and down, squeeze his balls tightly and force the pleasure out of him. Make him come over and over, a small echo of what they’d just done in the lab. The thoughts made him flush hotly all over and moan low and deep. His cock twitched painfully, but he wasn’t getting hard. Couldn’t after all they’d done. 

Still, the Asset started to twist in pleasure, body struggling with what it was feeling, torn between aching pain, exhaustion, and the slowly building tightness in his groin. He shifted his hips forward, then paused, suddenly shocked by his ability to do so. The vines binding his limbs had left him enough give to actually move into the fingers buried in his ass. 

The creature looked up at him in surprise, and then a pleased smile crept across his face. “Oh? Again?” He added a third finger to the Asset’s hole and pushed in, finding that magic spot inside of him and pressing. Blazing pain and mind-numbing pleasure shot through the Asset. It was too much, far too much, but at the same time it was so very good. He couldn’t think any more. His brain had completely whited out; all he could do was feel. Again, conflicting signals rushed through him, heat-soaked want warring with exquisite pain.

“You know that whatever you need, I’ll give you,” the creature cooed. “So beautiful, my rose. Look at you. Completely spent, and still you moan so prettily. I love the sounds you make, how petal-red your cheeks and chest become. Is this just for me? Because you want to be mine?” Each word made the Asset flush harder, both in embarrassment and pleasure. He’d never been called pretty before, not like this, not in so clearly caring a way. Nothing about what the creature said made him feel bad or used, like what happened with Strike or the techs. He shuddered and squirmed into the praise, straining forward to get as close to the creature as he could. 

The vine sheathing the Asset’s cock slid off of him, eliciting a choked-off groan, and then a hand wrapped around his battered cock. It lay limp in his grip, soft and vulnerable, a single drop of come still dribbling out of the tip. The skin was rubbed red and oh so sensitive, overworked and tender from coming. Before the Asset could even groan at the feeling of fingers on him, holding him and manipulating his soft cock, the creature leaned down and _licked_. 

The Asset screamed and twisted at the pleasure-pain. That wet, slow drag, soft as it was, still hurt. But at the same time, it was mind blowingly good. Overwhelming and yet not enough at the same time. Another thick vine quickly snaked over his hips and held him down, pinned to the branches that supported him underneath while he quaked and cried. Over and over the creature’s tongue worked his battered cock, happily slurping up the last little dribbles of precome that were forced out. All the while, the creature’s fingers kept up that slow, steady pulse right on his prostate, battering him from inside and out. The Asset’s chest heaved as he twisted and moaned. It was too much, but he did need it. He wanted it so bad, to be filled and taken apart and then put back together, the creature’s Asset. Every nerve screamed at him. Sweat trickled down his back in rivulets. He wanted to hold on to something, anything, but the best he could do was just grasp at the air around him. 

When the creature put the Asset’s cock in his mouth and carefully sucked, the Asset howled and came again. He couldn’t possibly have let out more than a few drops of fluid, having been already so thoroughly tapped out. It hurt, like a thousand knives under his skin it hurt, blending with the all-encompassing pleasure. He ached. He _ached_ , and it was so very good. The Asset loved every damn second of it. 

Under all the sensations bombarding him, the Asset barely felt it when a few more slim vines slipped into his ass. They slipped in completely, too, their ends cut off so that the whole length of vine disappeared into his pollen soaked hole. The Asset wept with joy and relief. Even with the creature gone and safe, he could leave a little bit of joy with the Asset.

The next several minutes were a blur. The Asset’s skin was hot, then cool as something soft and wet moved over him. He blinked a bit, but nothing really made sense; just blurs of green here and there mixed with darker colors. Cool liquid touched his lips and he drank until he couldn’t drink any more. Time drifted by some more. Half of his body was covered in a hot brand. Eventually he figured out it was the creature draped over him, his body warm as a furnace next to him. 

Everything was good. 

He might have slept, it was hard to tell, but when he finally started to blink himself back into awareness, he felt refreshed. Sore, but for the first time the small pains in his body only reminded him of pleasant things. He hoped they would last. 

The Asset took a breath and took stock of the room around him. The emergency lights had finally gone out in the room they were in, so only the soft glow from the tanks illuminated the room, casting everything in soft, deep shadows. The creature still lay on top of him, though the vines around him were more draped than wrapped. Now that the red light was gone, the Asset could see just how pale the creature’s human form was and how his blue eyes shined electric in the dark. 

“You’re back,” the creature said. A small smile tugged at his plush lips, but there was a little line of worry on his forehead and a hesitance with how he held himself. 

When no overwhelming urge to complete his mission came over him, the Asset smiled back. That must have been all the creature was waiting for, because all the tension fled from him, and he was nuzzling into the Asset’s neck and ear. 

The Asset reached up to cup the creature’s face, and to his vast surprise he found that he actually was able to. He traced over those lovely lips and strong jaw in wonder, trailing his fingers down the creature’s back and across several vines and leaves. It was humbling, being allowed to handle so amazing a being, the strangest, kindest, most wonderful being the Asset had ever met. With each touch, the creature arched into it. Given where they were and what the Asset knew of the techs that worked with Hydra, it seemed likely that the creature was as starved for gentle affection as the Asset was himself. 

He indulged them both as long as he could, touching and smelling and holding.

When he breathed a heavy sigh and pulled back a touch, he knew the creature understood that it was time. They had to get their half-baked plan in motion.

The two disentangled, though it took a few moments for the Asset to gain his balance. He looked around the room again, suddenly realizing that he had no idea how long he’d been in the botany lab. 

Vines slithered across the floor, dragging with them all of his weapons and the last shreds of his armor. 

“Sorry,” the creature said. His head tilted downward and a light pink dusted his cheeks. 

Honestly, the Asset couldn’t care less. The loss of the tactical gear was a very tiny price to pay for all the pleasure the creature had given him. It took him a minute to realize that he needed to express this somehow to the creature, who was still looking rather chagrined at the pile of kevlar scraps. Being allowed to react, to express what he was thinking was still a novel concept. Needing to do so to soothe someone else was just as bizarre. 

How, exactly, he was supposed to do that was still a bit of a mystery. After a moment of consideration, he walked up and just leaned into the creature’s front, putting them chest to chest and tucking his head under the creature’s chin. 

It took him a bit, but he found the words. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t need it anyways.”

For a brief moment, he was enveloped again in vines as they squeezed him into a full body hug. Unsure of quite what to do, the Asset tilted his head up and opened his mouth just a little bit, inviting the creature to taste him. Quiet joy filled the creature’s face, and the kiss that followed was soft and tender. One hand dragged through the Asset’s hair along his scalp and the other roamed down to slide down his crack, barely teasing his still-loose hole. The Asset groaned and let his mouth fall open, allowing the creature’s tongue to slip in. They lazily licked and sucked for a moment, but soon they just stood there, sharing each other’s breath. 

The Asset could have stood there for another thousand years, tasting and touching his beautiful creature, but he couldn’t. Didn’t dare. They’d already spent so much time. He leaned away and the vines around him went lax. 

“Are you ready?” the Asset asked quietly. Some part of him begged for the creature to say no, to put off the inevitable end of their joy for just a few moments longer.

The creature nodded. A frown tugged at his mouth, but his jaw was set, determined. 

“Time to blow you up an escape route.” He found his stash of grenades and made his way back to the main lab. 

The door that he originally came into was heavily covered in thick vines, effectively sealing them both in. A very faint pounding could be heard from the other side.

“They’ve been trying to get in for hours,” the creature said. The Asset didn’t even hear him approach, his movements lost in the general rustling of leaves.

“Figures,” the Asset said bitterly. “Probably come to get what’s left of my body.” It only took a moment to locate the chemical fume hood. He pulled a grenade from his pile of weaponry and hefted the round ball in his hand, casting a worried look at the creature. “As soon as this blows, our time is limited. You’ll need to get out and I’ll need to start burning vines.” 

Given the sheer amount of chemicals in the lab, it wouldn’t take more than a minute to scrounge up something to start a fire, then just another minute or two to find a way to spread it around. 

The creature pressed his lips together. “Please don’t make me hurt you, my rose. I know you asked for it. And. If you need it, I’ll do it. But...” His eyes plead with the Asset, large and worried. Some of the flowers along the wall actually closed, as if they were worried right along with him.

That actually made the Asset hesitate. He originally had thought that if the creature hurt him badly enough, his handlers might see that he tried his hardest and then leave off some of his punishment. Now that his head was clear, clearer than it had been for longer than the Asset could remember, he realized how foolish a plan this was. The punishment would come, regardless, because the punishment didn’t follow any particular logic. They hurt him as often as they could and whenever they felt like it. They made it out to seem like they were punishing him, but the truth was, suffering was just run of the mill routine for the Asset.

That didn’t stop the nagging itch in the back of his head that tried to tell him if he simply did as he was told he could escape the worst of it. But looking back through his limited memories, that didn’t seem to be accurate. 

Confusing as it all was, there was a more important issue. The Asset realized he didn’t want his time with the creature to be tainted by fear and pain, like every other part of his life. No matter what atrocity happened afterwards, they could have this moment together.

He hoped that the wipes wouldn’t take it away.

Faint hope.

Squaring his jaw, he shook his head. “No, doll. You don’t need to. It doesn’t matter. Just get outta here and I’ll take care of the rest.” Before he could see the relief on the creature’s face, he activated the grenade and tossed it up the fume hood. 

_BOOM._

Small bits of dust floated down from the ceiling, knocked free by the blast. 

In the blink of an eye, the creature was on him, pressed against him, and the Asset nearly cried from the feeling of all that hot flesh touching him, and then wanted to cry again because he knew it was going to be gone forever in just a few seconds. One of the creature’s human hands lifted up the Asset’s chin, holding his gaze in those electric blue eyes. 

“I’ll find you, my sweet flower,” the creature vowed solemnly. “No matter what. I’ll find you, and I’ll get you out. One day, you will be safe.” 

Hot tears spilled down the Asset’s cheeks. It was a nice dream. A good dream. A fucking impossible dream. He slammed their lips together in one last fierce kiss and then shoved the creature towards the hood. 

“Go. Find some place better than here. Be happy.” The words burned in the Asset’s throat. 

The creature took one long, last look at the Asset, and then climbed up and out. 

As soon as the last of his human body was out of sight, the Asset got moving. He found chemicals, made mixes, tossed buckets of it on the walls and on the vines. The thought of burning them was repugnant to him, but this is how his creature would get away. They’d think he was already dead. 

Soon enough, the room was in flames and the Asset was clawing at the door, ripping away at the vines to get out. He briefly considered letting himself roast; burning alive would be a better fate than whatever his handlers would do to him. Continue to do to him, over and over again. 

But if he did that, then Hydra might think that maybe the creature got away and go hunting for him. No, the Asset had to survive to let them know that whatever had killed the techs in this lab was long dead. 

He managed to break the door free just as the smoke was starting to overwhelm him. He fell forward into the hall, coughing like mad and covered in soot. He was bruised and a little singed from all of his hard work, but otherwise unharmed. 

A couple of the Strike Team pulled him away from the quickly growing flame in the doorway, and dragged him down the hall. Sprinklers turned on and soon everyone was drenched. 

After that the Asset checked out. It didn’t matter what happened to him now. All he had to do was answer their questions as exactly as he could, bending the truth into a lie with how it was phrased.


	2. Chapter 2

“What the hell is that shit all over the Asset?” 

It was the intern. Fucking stupid intern. Dr. Sanderson pinched the bridge of his nose and tried not to punch the kid. 

“We don’t know what it is,” Sanderson said dryly. “That’s why we’re running tests. Keep your gloves on for christ’s sake. We don’t need another Jim.” He waved a hand over to remains of Jim Hart, a former colleague of Sanderson and a fellow member of Hydra’s Chemical Science division. 

The moment Strike had dragged the Asset back to their experiment auditorium, things had started to go wrong. 

First, was how fucking long it had taken to get the Asset back. He’d been assured that this little mission would only be an hour long, maybe two at most. Hell, all they had to do was walk upstairs! But no, the Asset had been AWOL for a day and a half. Not only had Sanderson’s team been left waiting around for all that time, but any and all results from the first half of their experiment would be completely impossible to discern.

Which brought up the second problem. The new drug they’d injected into the Asset wasn’t in effect. At least, not as far as they could figure out. It showed no signs of arousal, not in any way, nor did manipulation with the usual implements elicit an immediate reaction. 

Then there was the third issue. 

Sanderson glanced over to Jim, or what was left of him. At some point, eager to get things back on track and get the team back on schedule, Jim had kicked the Asset’s feet out from under it. Then he proceeded to try and get his dick wet. 

A suspiciously naked and unplugged Asset, now that Sanderson thought about it, and wasn’t that an interesting puzzle. He’d originally assumed that Strike had just decided to have their fun with the Asset before handing it back to Chem Sci, but now he was really starting to wonder. 

Either way, the moment Jim’s skin had touched the Asset, he started to burn. Since the idiot had just grabbed the Asset’s hips and shoved his dick in, his hands and dick were the first to rot off. He didn’t last long after that. 

Which brought them to their next problem. The Asset was covered in some kind of golden powder. As far as they could tell, it was the powder that was causing the reaction. 

They tried hosing the Asset off. At first that seemed to work. But after only a few moments, golden lines started to appear on the Asset’s skin again, spiraling across it in a strangely organic pattern. Not quite dendritic, but more like a series of logarithmic spirals. Or a combination of the two.

The powder was being created by the Asset’s skin. Somehow, it wasn’t hurting it either. 

Sanderson seethed. What the _fuck_ were those idiots in botany up to? The kicker of it was that they were all dead now and their lab burned to a blackened husk, so he couldn’t even ask them. 

An idea occurred to him.

“Agent Rumlow, would you be so kind as to take Mr. Reagus, here, and hold him.” Sanderson pointed to the intern. If the idiot couldn’t make himself useful one way, he’d be useful in another way.

“Sure thing, doc.” Before he could even react, Agent Rumlow had Reagus with his neck in a lock and one arm twisted painfully off to the side.

“Wait, wha? No! Stop!” 

Rumlow just huffed out a laugh. “Take it easy, kid. Suck it up and take what you get. Sometimes order needs a little pain.”

Very carefully, Sanderson used a scalpel to scrape some of the newly generated golden powder off of the Asset’s skin. He was extra careful not to cut it open. After all, if there was something in the Asset’s biology that was rendering it immune to the effects, then it wouldn’t do at all to get that mixed in with the powder. 

“Are we recording? Make sure we’re recording,” he said absently. Sanderson was answered with a few ‘yes, sir!’s. Excellent. At least the rest of his team was still doing their jobs. “Abernathy, I need an arm.”

One of the other scientists pulled up the sleeve on Reagus’ twisted arm, allowing Sanderson to smear the golden powder onto his skin. There was a bit of a preemptive scream from Reagus, which cut off as soon as he realized that nothing was happening, at which point he sagged in relief. 

“Seriously, kid?” Rumlow rolled his eyes so hard that it must have hurt. Sanderson tended to agree. It was looking more and more like they’d need to terminate this particular internship. Reagus just didn’t seem to have the brains or the stomach for their work. 

“Curious,” Sanderson mused. “We’ll table that for now. Schedule a series of skin scrape tests. I want to see what exactly the limits of this particular substance is. Even if stage one of our drug trial was a fail, having a new flesh eating acid on hand wouldn’t be objectionable. In the meantime, I really do want to finish out our scheduled tests. We’ll just have to get a little creative.” 

More people scurried around him, setting up the logistics for that. Latex covered lab assistants got the Asset chained and ready. A simple tie for starters, head down and ass up, legs hitched open with a bar. Someone rolled up the fucking machine. Even if they couldn’t get their jollies off while getting the Asset ready, something Sanderson was not-so-secretly furious about, they could still restart the whole drug trial process. Maybe after an hour or two on the machine, they would all rubber up and…

Before he could finish that thought, the massive dildo on the fucking machine had pressed into the Asset’s hole.

And then was promptly torn apart by thin vines protruding from the Asset’s ass. They just came out like green little vipers, coiled around the dildo, and squeezed it to bits like little constrictors. As soon as the threat of penetration was gone, the thin little tendrils retreated back inside the Asset. 

That. 

How.

_What the FUCK happened in that botany lab?_

The other lab workers started to back away, whispering fearfully among themselves. Before things could fall into panic, Sanderson took control of the situation. “Pull the Asset up,” he snarled. “I want to ask it some questions.”

Chains adjusted and soon the Asset was facing where Sanderson stood. Its face was vacant, as it should be, though the lack of muzzle was troubling. 

“Asset. What happened in the botany lab?”

“I entered. Vines grabbed me. We fought briefly. The vines incapacitated me. Removed my gear and clothing. Fucked me until I passed out. When it was done with me, I was able to reach my gear. Tossed a grenade. Lit the vines on fire. Escaped the lab.”

Those fuckers. If every single member of that team hadn’t been dead already, Sanderson would have had them all poisoned. Whatever crazy little fucktoy they were growing managed to get out and kill them all, probably by screwing them to death. Likely the Asset’s enhanced nature was the only reason it survived. 

And now their Asset was infected. 

Fucking great.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Just the thought of what they might have to do to try and decontaminate the Asset was giving him a massive headache. “Alright. No. We’re done here for now. Put the Asset in its hole. We need to strategize.” He turned to Rumlow. The rest of Strike had already wandered off, likely taking a smoke break upstairs, but Rumlow had stuck around. “I’m really sorry, Agent, I don’t think we’ll be able to entertain your team today.”

Rumlow dropped the intern into a quivering mess on the floor and shrugged. “Shit happens, doc. You’ll give us a call once it's ready again, though, won’t ya?”

“Of course, of course,” Sanderson said smoothly. “We’re always grateful for the help.” 

That was a big fat lie if he’d ever told one, but it was important to have friends. Or barring friends, at least people who are willing to trade favors. 

The Asset was hauled off and the rest of his team scrambled to decontaminate the room. All Sanderson could do was sit heavily in his chair and grind his teeth. 

This was going to be a bitch and a half. 

\--

“So this little experiment of yours,” Secretary Pierce said slowly, leaning back into Sanderson’s chair. “What exactly were you doing? And with one of our most valuable Assets?”

The Asset had only been in its hole for a day before Sanderson had gotten a visit from Alexander Pierce himself. That in and of itself was extremely distressing. Drawing Secretary Pierce’s gaze wasn’t generally very healthy, and now he was here, in Sanderson’s office, demanding answers. 

Fuck.

So far, explanations had gone exceptionally poorly. Sweat trickled down his back and he tried not to gulp.

“Sir, it was an extremely important trial for our undercover operatives. If we could---” 

“You misunderstand. I don’t care about your drug. What I want to know is why you thought our best covert weapon should be used to test some kind of super Viagra.” There wasn’t a trace of humor on Pierce’s face. Sanderson started to sweat a little bit harder. This could be a career ender, and for Hydra, career enders were life enders, too.

“Sir, the serum---”

Pierce continued on as if Sanderson hadn’t even said anything. “And then sent off on a mission while still under the effects of that drug.” 

Shit, shit, shit, shit.

“Sir, the mission was a surprise, and emergency. We couldn’t have predicted it!” Again, Sanderson silently cursed the dead botanists. They started this whole clusterfuck. 

Pierce leaned forward and looked at the reports spread across Sanderson’s desk. “It says here that the botany labs had a breach of containment. Is it certain that nothing escaped?”

This, at least, was a saving grace. Hopefully it would be enough to keep him from termination. “Yes, sir, absolutely. The Asset reported that he burned down all the plant life in the room.” He was paraphrasing, but that was basically what the Asset said, wasn’t it? The Asset wasn’t capable of lying. It didn’t have the brain power. 

“Hmmm.” Pierce flipped through the reports. “Doctor Sanderson, would you say that the Asset’s performance during this mission was affected by the drugs you had it injected with?”

“What? No! Definitely not---”

“So the fact that the Asset was hyped up on something that made it crave sex had nothing to do with the fact that it ended up being fucked for, what was it? Several hours? By another lab experiment?” The pointed look that was tossed in Sanderson’s direction made him shiver.

Shit, shit, shit, shit.

“Well, I mean.” He gulped. “It’s hard to say what Botany was up to…”

“Your professional opinion, Doctor Sanderson.”

Sanderson glanced around the room, trying to buy himself time. He could lie, but extremely bad things happened to people who lied to the higher ups. But if he outright admitted that it seemed extremely likely that the drugs were a mitigating factor, then he was toast.

Sweat pooled in the dip between his collar bones. He tugged at his collar and weighed his options.

“It is...possible, I suppose. But the Asset has always proved before that it is completely capable of carrying out missions in compromised states! This shouldn’t have been an issue!” Which was true. Being insufferably horny shouldn’t have been a problem at all, especially given how conditioned the Asset was. It couldn’t even touch itself without permission. Going on a quick kill mission with a boner and a plug shouldn’t have impeded its functionality in any meaningful way. 

“Doctor…” Pierce leaned back and crossed his legs. Then he pulled down the ends of his vest, smoothing the fabric out. It became even more glaringly obvious that while Sanderson was a panicking wreck, Secretary Pierce was still picture perfect. It only made him feel that much more inferior and unprepared. “...If you have a gun, and your life, the lives of those around you, depend on the use of that gun, wouldn’t you think it unwise to fire that gun while it’s not functioning at its most efficient? Negligent at the very least. Potentially deadly at the worst.”

Dread crawled up Sanderson’s spine. “No,” he said, almost to himself. No, this couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. He’d put too much into this organization for it to end like this. Too many projects were left unfinished. He took a step backward.

“You’ve been a very valuable member of our team, Doctor, and in the past I’ve always been satisfied with your efforts.” 

That...that sounded kind of promising. Sanderson paused his retreat. 

Pierce stood up and walked around the edge of the desk, pausing to lean on the side. “But times are becoming more and more dangerous. Our organization is facing threats that would have been impossible to imagine just a few years ago. I’m afraid we just can’t afford this kind of liability.”

“Shit.” Sanderson took two quick steps backwards, intent on running out of there as quickly as possible. No way Pierce would sully himself to chase, and if Sanderson got as far as the loading area…

Before he could take a third step back, though, he slammed into something. Or rather, some _one_. 

“Hi there, Doc.” Agent Rumlow smiled at him and grabbed hold of his arms.

“I’d like to thank you for all the good work you’ve done for us all these years. Truly, you’ve done the world a great service,” Pierce said. From the look on his face, he could have been sending Sanderson off to a normal retirement party. Here’s your gold watch and pension. Thanks for coming out. 

Sanderson’s knees went weak, nearly dropping him on the floor, but Rumlow’s iron grip held him up. 

The last thing he saw as he was dragged out of the room was Pierce’s oh-so-pleasant smile. 

\--

Doctor Abernathy took stock of her new office, formerly in possession of Doctor Sanderson. It was a nice corner room. Lots of space. Beautiful desk. No windows, but that happened when you worked in an underground lab. 

Spread out over the desk was all the information they had on Sanderson’s active projects, as well as the physical status of the Asset. There were at least three major projects here as well as half a dozen smaller side projects. Every single one of them was heavy research-based experimental science. Long term application stuff. Most of them involved work on the Asset, relying on its enhanced abilities to let it survive things that no regular human could.

She looked over the current stats on the Asset, and pursed her lips in thought.

To put things simply, the Asset was a fucking wreck. Whatever had happened on its emergency mission had drastically changed its biology. Getting anywhere near it was an absolute trial now. Its Handlers had to practically wear hazmat suits now just to get it clean. If anything other than its gear lingered too close, the vines that had infested its insides came out to play. 

Abernathy leaned back in her new chair and tapped her fingers on the desk in thought. Very comfortable. 

But she knew it was comfort at a cost. 

In fairly short order, she had a memo drafted, to be sent to the rest of her new team. All previous projects involving the Asset were to be scrapped. It would be kept on ice unless it was actively preparing for or on mission. While not in the field, it was to be left in isolation unless under active repair by handlers. New safety protocols would be written up for proper handling of it and its gear. 

Sanderson’s abrupt termination had made it clear that the Chem Sci division needed a change of focus, and she was just the person for the job. 

After another moment of thought, she picked up her phone and made a call. 

A man’s voice answered after only two rings. “Hello, Aldrich here.”

“Doctor Killian? My name is Doctor Marie Abernathy, and I wanted to talk to you about some potential project collaboration…”

\--

The Asset slept in cryo, and in his dreams were electric blue eyes and the smell of flowers. 

\--

Two weeks later, aliens fell from the sky in New York City.

The rag-tag team dubbed The Avengers sat around eating shawarma in the aftermath of the battle. Tony Stark looked over the group and wondered at the strangeness of it. 

There was himself; genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Doctor Bruce Banner sat grinning next to him in borrowed clothes. That tickled Tony more than he wanted to admit, because Banner was brilliant. Brilliant enough that they could talk on the same level, and people like that Tony could count on one hand and have fingers left. There was Thor, alien prince and the God of Thunder. The Assassin Twins, the infamous Black Widow and Hawkeye, both exhausted and bruised. Tony sympathized. He was certain he’d wake up black and blue all over. 

The last addition was the most surprising, and given that their team had a giant rage monster and a god on it, that was really saying something. Of all the things that Tony Stark wasn’t expecting from an alien invasion, it was for a plant-man to pop out of nowhere and start pitching in. 

Said plant-man was slumped over on his side of the table, food untouched, and leaning heavily on one fisted hand. He was nude from the top up, and that right there was doing no one else any favors. That guy had the most ridiculous shoulder to hip ratio he’d ever seen outside of cartoons. He practically defined the term ‘beefcake’. The rest of him was covered in tightly wrapped green vines. Various colored fluids dripped down from the wounds scattered around his body; in some places red like human blood, other places white and clear, and in one or two spots, dark green fluid dripped down.

They all sat in silence. It was true that Tony had a million questions, but he was also ready to drop. Pretty much everyone looked to be in the same boat, too. Questions could wait. Sleep first.

Eventually, he mustered up enough energy to prod everyone else into action. 

“Alright. Up. Everyone to the tower. Place is blown to shit, but we’ve got rooms and medical there.” There was some stirring as the rest of the team started to help each other up. 

All but plant-boy. He was looking off to the side like he was scanning the busted-in windows for a clear exit. 

“Come on, you too, Vine Man.” The brightest blue eyes that Tony had ever seen looked up at him in confusion. That wasn’t unusual. Tony was used to mass confusion. It happened to nearly everyone around him. What he didn’t like _at all_ was the fear in those eyes. Plant guy expected bad things to happen to him, even after he’d helped them all out, and that was just unacceptable. “Up and attem. We’ll get you a nice sunny window to hang out in. Fresh water. Plenty of fresh air, what with all the windows being broken. Let’s go.” 

Natasha caught on to what he was doing and helped him herd everyone over to the tower. So much of the upper floors were destroyed that nearly everyone just ended up crashing in the same couple of rooms, mainly because all the walls were intact and Jarvis could set up a basic security perimeter. Tony quickly claimed the main bed and then promptly passed out. Showers could happen when he wasn’t about to collapse.

When Tony finally dragged himself back into the waking world, most of the rest of the team had gathered in the kitchen area. Clint was in the process of making what looked like the world’s largest pile of scrambled eggs while the rest of them sort of lounged around. 

Plant guy, to Tony’s complete lack of surprise, was sitting in a sunbeam, staring out the window. What was interesting was how tiny leaves had unfurled from the vines that wrapped his body; they waved and danced in the noticeably still air. 

As soon as Tony stumbled into the room, Bruce pressed a cup of coffee into his hand. “Bless you,” Tony said gratefully, and limped his way over to collapse on a couch. “So. Most of us know each other, but let’s play Introduction. Just. Go around the room. Hi, my name is Tony, also known as the Invincible Ironman.” 

He waved his coffee cup at Bruce, who tilted his head and huffed a laugh. Thor smothered a snicker and Natasha quirked a tiny smile. 

“I’m Doctor Bruce Banner. And. Uh. The, uh, big green guy. Too.” Banner winced and hid behind his coffee cup. 

“I am Thor, Prince of Asgard.” That was accompanied with a solemn nod and another pop tart shoved whole into his mouth. 

“Agent Natasha Romanov of SHIELD.” 

In an instant, plant guy turned around and actually _hissed_ , his vines starting to unravel a bit around him, ready to strike. Like that, everyone was on their guard. Tony silently fingered the bracelets that summoned his suit. It wasn’t time for that yet, but it couldn’t hurt to be ready. 

“Easy, friend,” Thor said soothingly. “We are all comrades in arms here. None of us wish to hurt you.”

“What Pointbreak said,” Tony said. “I kinda hate SHIELD, too, but picking a fight with one of the best assassins in the world is a bad plan.”

“SHIELD,” plant guy said softly, hands slowly twisting into fists. “SHIELD is Hydra, and Hydra are the ones who made me.”

“Wait, _what_?” Clint turned around with an incredulous look. “Hydra? Like, World War Two, Hydra?”

“That’s impossible,” Natasha said stiffly. “You are misinformed.” 

The look she got back from plant guy was so bitterly pissed off that it actually gave Tony pause. Of all the claims plant dude could have made, that certainly was an interesting one. Because once Tony started thinking about it, the schematics that he picked up out of the helicarrier were an awful lot like some of the weapons his dad talked about from his time with the SSR. 

“Jarvis, search through all SHIELD files, anything that might indicate involvement with a seventy year old rogue nazi group.” Tony limped over to a nearby desk, one that still had the holographic imaging projectors still intact. With a wave of his hand, screens started popping up.

“You can’t be serious, Stark. There’s no way…” Clint said. He sounded like he wanted to be certain, but Tony could hear the grain of doubt. 

Apparently, Natasha could too, because she said, “Good idea, Stark. You,” she said, turning to plant guy, “what can you tell us that can confirm this? We’ve got access to all of SHIELD’s files, so tell us what to look for. We can clear this up right now.”

Plant dude stuck out his jaw for a moment, thinking, then he nodded. “I was Project S.T.E.V.E., Sentient Tree and Evolving Vine Embryo. Under the botany division…” He started to rattle off names and Tony could see Jarvis searching for them on the screen.

“I’m afraid that I have located a file on this project.” The words seemed almost pulled out of Jarvis, each one tinged with regret. 

“And this means that SHIELD is Hydra?” Bruce asked. “Not that I think you’re lying, it’s just. People can say anything. They could have been lying to you.”

“What, the good people of SHIELD, lie? Gasp, sir, you wound me,” Tony said absently. Every single name that the plant guy, Steve, listed all checked out as SHIELD employees. And every single one of them died in an unspecified lab accident just weeks earlier.

With that, though, the plant guy trained his ridiculous puppy dog eyes on Tony. “I was hoping you all would help me. But if you’re with them…” He opened his mouth and then shook his head.

“Help with what?” Natasha asked. 

“The Asset. I need to get him out. Stop the people who made us,” Steve said firmly.

With a tap of his finger, Tony brought up an incident report for the lab accident. “Funny that. All the report says is, ‘Asset deployed for clean up. Mission success. See Addendum ii for further details.’ Whiiiiiich...J?” 

“I am unable to find Addendum ii for this report, Sir.”

“Figures.” Tony scoffed to himself and shook his head. “A clusterfuck this size and someone decided to bury the evidence trail. If one was ever even made. So, Stevie Boy, you got any details on this Asset?”

“Stark, what are you thinking?” Natasha drew out the question like she was being playful, but from the look on her face she was anything but.

“He was strong and fast, more so than regular humans. He has a metal arm, grafted up at his shoulder,” Steve said, and with that Natasha froze, eyes wide and worried. “He was a pet, like me, except...worse, I think. Please.” Steve looked around the room. “He helped me escape. I had never been out of that room, before that. I couldn’t…” He paused, jaw working as he silently searched for words. “He didn’t want to be there, to be their creature, but he had no choice. I promised I would go back for him. I was too damaged to take him out with me, and he was...they did something to him. He couldn’t disobey.”

Natasha was still frozen in place. “What kind of guns did he have?”

Steve just shrugged. “He had many of them, as well as many other weapons. Other than that, I couldn’t tell you.”

“Miss Rushman, would you like to share with the class?” Tony asked.

She snapped her jaw shut and pursed her lips for a moment. Finally she said, “The Winter Soldier. He’s a ghost story. Credited with over fifty assassinations in the last fifty years.”

“He is being punished, probably still, for how long his kill mission with me took.” Steve looked at each of them. “If you say you’re not with Hydra, and you don’t believe in what they did, help me find him, and make sure no one is ever treated like they treated us again.” 

Silence reigned as they all considered this. 

The story was outlandish, but, then again...God of Thunder, giant green rage monster…

Stranger things had happened. And aside from the names, everything Steve had said checked out one way or another.

“For your aid in battle defending this realm, I say it is my duty to aid you in turn.” Thor stood up and offered Steve his hand to shake. 

Steve just looked at it in confusion. Then held out his own hand in exactly the same way, eyebrows raised questioningly. Thor grinned and clasped forearms with him. Steve flinched hard, and in the kind of way that made Tony see red. He knew the after effects of abuse when he saw it. Intimately well. Thor didn’t seem to notice, though, because he turned to look at the rest of the group and said, “What say you, Avengers. Should we go Avenging once again?”

“Yeah. I’m in.” Tony nodded. “Just gimme a few days to get my suit ready and gather up some intel. Brucie-pie?”

“No one deserves to be a lab rat,” Bruce said quietly. “Whatever you need help with, I’m in...though I’m not really sure how much help I’ll be.” He shrugged.

“What about you, wonder twins?” Tony looked at Clint and Natasha.

The two of them shared an unreadable look, then eventually Clint nodded. 

“If we are accidentally working for Hydra, I want to know. No more of this working for the bad guys bullshit,” Clint said with a frown and then he turned around, putting his back to the room, and leaned forward on to the counter with his head bowed. 

Natasha nodded as well. “Clint’s right. This is worth investigating.”

Steve…

Steve looked like they’d just all given him a million dollars and a hundred foot yacht. His eyes were round and surprised and his mouth fell open. He licked his lips and then nodded. “Thank you.” There was another long pause. “Tony...if I can ask…”

“Whatever you need, Green Man, spit it out,” Tony waved a hand absently at him, too busy searching up building schematics on the place where Steve was held. 

“I promised that the Asset would get to stay with me. He’d be mine. No one would ever use him again, not in any way.” And wasn’t that an ominous phrasing. “He said he hoped for some food. And a blanket. I...I’ve never had one of those. I don’t know what it is or if it’s hard to get. Could we have one ready? I was gonna plant him a garden. Someplace warm. I don’t think he likes the cold…”

Every word Steve said just made Tony more angry. What the fuck had these people done to him, to the guy who helped him escape? From the looks on everyone else’s faces, they shared the same sentiment. “I think we can do a little better than that. Don’t worry, Stevie-boy. J and I got you covered.”

“Tell us about this lab you were in…” Natasha asked.

Steve nodded, and they all started planning. 

\--

What Tony had hoped would be a weekend job had turned into a months long covert affair. By the time Natasha and Clint had snuck into the facility in question, all traces of the Asset were long gone. 

What was left was a whole host of other uncomfortable things, not in the least was solid evidence that Hydra was alive and well inside of SHIELD. How deep the rot went, they couldn’t yet tell, but all signs pointed to very, very deep. Clint was furious and Natasha had gone unreadable. No one was sure if Fury was in on it or not. As of that moment, they stopped trusting anyone from SHIELD.

While they had missed the Asset, they did find what was left of one of his holding areas, as well as a few random bits of documentation. There were a few mission reports. Those were the easiest to read. Horrible, yes, but straightforward at least. They also found documentation on his conditioning process as well as a host of lab reports from various experiments.

Tony wasn’t the only one who vomited after reading those papers. Even the hardened spies looked sick to their stomachs. 

But it wasn’t all bad. Or, at least, not all completely vile. Natasha pulled some strings and found out the Winter Soldier’s name. James Buchanan Barnes, formerly of the 107th, USA Army, declared KIA during the end of World War II. 

If finding out that the Asset was a century old wasn’t startling enough, there was the little fact that he was once a sniper for the Howling Commandos. The Commandos, led by Peggy Carter, were one of the war’s most secret, and most valuable, special ops teams. Most of their missions weren’t even declassified, but Tony grew up on stories about them from his dad. They destroyed a sizable number of Hydra bases and very possibly were instrumental in winning the war. Sergeant James Barnes was declared killed on mission after he fell out of a moving train, down a cliff. How he actually survived that to become the Winter Soldier was anyone’s guess. 

Steve was absolutely thrilled to find out the Asset had a name. He’d confided to the group that having a name was a touching experience for Steve. All the things his creator called him...well, kind they weren’t. In quieter times, though, Tony knew that Steve worried about if the Asset would even care.

The more the rest of the team found out about the day Steve escaped, the more concerned they got, not just about who they would be rescuing, but what kind of state he would be in.

The story came out piece by piece, what little of it Steve was willing to talk about. 

The first verification that they’d found a holding place of the Winter Soldier actually came from Steve. Jarvis had dug up the location out of the pillaged SHIELD files. Since it wasn’t officially a SHIELD run facility, the whole team decided to get in on the raid. 

They didn’t find James, but they did find a whole lot of gold dust liberally coating a couple of rooms. 

“It’s him! He’s been here,” Steve said happily, his silver shield tossed over his back. It was originally Peggy Carter’s shield, made by Howard back during the war. It had been sitting in Tony’s armory for ages, and was the only thing that Steve had interest in using in a fight. Given that they were going after one of Carter’s old troopers, Tony figured it was as good a time as any to put it in use.

“How can you tell?” Clint asked over the comms.

“Because of the pollen. When we were together, he asked if he could be my Asset.” Steve paused for a moment, eyes distant, while Tony and Natasha searched the room. “So I marked him. Mixed his come and my pollen together after one of our releases, and then spread it into his skin, bonding it to him.” 

“Wow. Good thing he doesn’t have allergies,” Tony said with amusement. Then what Steve said really sunk in. “Wait, so you guys had sex? Instead of him killing you? That’s...actually pretty impressive. Also, you pollinate?”

“I did what he asked me to, what he needed.” Steve shook his head. “He was so beautiful. Even after all the ways they hurt him. They were mid-experiment when he came to kill me, so he was still suffering from all the poison they injected him with.” His face twisted in distaste. “They were forcing him to feel pleasure, hurting him at the same time, but not allowing him to release. He begged me for it, needed it so badly…”

Tony’s stomach twisted. He remembered the files they found already. They already knew that rape was a thing that happened to the Asset with pretty regular frequency. Steve’s story shouldn’t have surprised him at all. But somehow hearing him talk about it was still a shock. Honestly, though, most of what Steve told them about his time with Hydra was shocking.

“He was drugged,” Natasha said grimly. She cast a side-eyed look at Steve from where she was standing next to a computer terminal, setting up thumb drives to get copies of whatever they had. Tony and Jarvis would sift through it later. “And you had sex with him.”

At that, the vines wrapped around Steve’s legs creaked ominously and the flowers perched on his shoulders withered away and died. It was weird to see how the flowers and leaves that wrapped around him reacted to his mood, and even stranger to see the local wildlife follow suit. “He begged me to pleasure him because his handlers only touched him in terrible ways. He was in agony. It would have been cruel to just let him suffer. And even after the drug wore off, he still asked for my touch. Still wanted me in and around him. I would _never_ have forced him. Not in any way. I am not my creators.”

That. That was good. And also terrible, once Tony thought about it. That meant that Steve’s introduction to sex was probably rape. Rape with no explanation either. No former knowledge that consent was a thing that had to be asked for. Shit, with that kind of training, it was a miracle that Steve went out of his way not to hurt the Asset further. Tony took a breath.

Because Steve? When he first joined them, Steve had been, well, _naive_ was putting it kindly. Sheltered and abused in some truly strange ways. They had to explain nearly everything about modern life to him in the last few months, and the things he did know about were often disturbing and appalling.

He knew the name of every bone in a human’s body and exactly how much pressure it would take to break it, but he didn’t know that children were born. Steve assumed they were grown and enslaved just as he was. He knew that people sometimes got married, but thought it was a form of punishment based on what his creators talked about when they were in his room.

So sex? That might be a muddled subject for Steve. Honestly, Tony was kind of hoping to avoid the whole Birds and the Bees talk, especially since Steve didn’t seem to have any sexual interest in anyone. Whenever he talked about the Winter Soldier, it sounded more like puppy love than anything else.

Natasha and Tony shared a look, grim understanding floating between them.

“Such drugs are not unknown on Asgard,” Thor said through the comms in between crashes in the background, “though the effects you spoke of are often the aftereffects of spell work rather than potion. If your James was afflicted by anything like those, it would have indeed been torture most heinous to deny him. But it is also true that such aid may not be happily reflected upon later, no matter how much it was needed. It is good that your James still invited your touch once the poison had run its course.”

Steve frowned but nodded.

“Given how much the Asset was conditioned, I wonder if he even knew how to say no.” Clint said quietly, which only made Steve look like he was about to cry.

“Not helping, Hawkguy,” Tony muttered back.

Steve shot Tony a sad look, but only for a second. Then he was back to staring at the gold dust everywhere. “The pollen I marked him with acts as a barrier as well. Any other human that touches him will suffer painfully for it.”

“Holy shit,” Clint said. “And Barnes agreed to this?”

Steve walked over to a wall and ran a finger through the pollen there. “He wished to be mine. My Asset, instead of Hydra’s. So I marked him and filled him, so that even while I was gone I could protect him the best I could.” 

“...Can you undo it once we find him?” Clint asked. “Because touch is pretty important for humans. We get kinda squirrely if we don’t touch another person for a long time.”

Even more vines started to shrivel and Steve hunched over like he’d been punched in the gut. “I didn’t know that,” he said softly. “The creators...it doesn’t matter. Yes. I can alter, or just remove it.”

And that...Tony wasn’t exactly sure what to say about that. He shoved it to stew in the back of his mind. Right now they had a job to do.

Steve licked the golden dust off his finger and sighed. “We’re too late again. He hasn’t been here for weeks.”

By the end of their raid, they came to the conclusion that the Asset had been shipped off to a holding facility, frozen in storage. It was only later that night at the tower that they found out a bit more about what happened on the day of Steve’s escape.

They’d just sat down for some dinner when Tony brought it up. 

“So, Green Giant, you said you ‘marked and filled’ Barnes. What exactly did you mean by that?” Tony asked between bites of egg roll. Natasha rolled her eyes at him and Clint hit him in the head with a fortune cookie. “Hey! Rude.”

“...Should we be listening to this?” Bruce asked quietly. Thor grinned, waggled his eyebrows, and shoved another massive bite of lo mein into his mouth. 

“The marking you know about, that’s the pollen.” Steve shook his head and his face crumpled into a frown. Even the leaves around him wilted. “The filling, he asked for. He wanted vines inside of him always.”

“That seems unpleasant,” Clint said.

“You wouldn’t say so if you saw the alternative. His handlers had shoved a large metal object inside of him. When I took it out, he smelled of many different people, dripped with their fluids. He still had deep bruises from where they’d tied him up. His face was covered in a..a…” He struggled for a moment, and then just covered the lower half of his face with one hand. “A thing. There was a plastic penis in his mouth, nearly choking him, and the covering was padlocked on to his face. I took it off as soon as I could. He told me that they kept the metal inside of him to make him ready for them when he was done killing me. But he didn’t want it. He asked for me. Wanted me to touch him. Later he asked me to leave vines in him, so his tormentors would never be able to fill him up again. So I did. The vines won’t hurt him, or impede his biology. All they’ll do is stop anything external from entering him. Whatever else his handlers might be doing to him, they’ll never be able to chain him up and fuck him again.”

Steve sighed heavily and shook his head, as if brushing off the bad thoughts. It took a visible effort to force the anger off his face and go back to eating his stir fried veggies. Everyone else had been stunned to silence. 

Tony didn’t even know what to say. All of it was just too horrifying. It was actually physically painful to listen to, not only because it was terrible or because he liked Steve, but also because of his time as a POW. Hearing first hand what was done to the Asset hit close to home. He’d thought he had it bad when Ten Rings took him, with the waterboarding, freezing cold, and forced labor. But what Hydra had done to James Barnes? That was just mindless cruelty. As fucked up as the situation was, Tony could still see that Steve tried his best.

That in and of itself was pretty fucked up.

“It was all I could do. He wouldn’t come with me, and I wouldn’t have been able to make it out alone, not and restrain him at the same time to take him with me. It’s just. He’s there now and they’re hurting him. The pollen and the vines won’t stop them from drugging him or beating him, but at least they won’t be able to fuck him anymore.” Steve sagged in his chair for a moment, his ambient vines drooping in place. 

No one seemed to know what to say about that. After a moment, eating slowly began again, but quieter. 

“Clint,” Steve said after a few minutes of silence. “Did you mean what you said? That maybe...maybe he wouldn’t know how to say no? That I. Did I…”

“It’s possible,” Clint said solemnly. “More than possible, based on what we’ve found and heard so far. But it sounds like you weren’t really...totally aware of how consensual sex works either, if all you’ve got was your creators actions to go by.”

Steve flinched like he’d been shot, face turned down towards his plate.

“They don’t sound like they were keen about filling you in on when sex is appropriate,” Natasha added dryly. 

Thor tapped the table thoughtfully. “It was a bad situation all around, from what it sounds like. It seems to me that you attempted to act with honor as much as you both were able. But you must keep in mind, this is an unusual situation. Once James has recovered his mind, he may not appreciate what you have done.” Now Steve really was crying, great big tears that dripped steadily down his face. Thor hastened to reassure him. “But that may not be the case. It is for him to decide, once he is free. And it is important that once we do free him, he has room to choose his companionship however he would like.”

“Yes, of course,” Steve said thickly, and stared down at the table, head hung so far that his back was nearly bowed. “I would never. Couldn’t ever force him, or anyone, to do anything they didn’t want.”

“Steve,” Natasha said softly. “We’re not mad.”

“I’m a little mad,” Tony added, and Steve flinched again. “But...not at you. Mostly at Hydra. Maybe some general upset.”

“Same,” Clint said. Bruce nodded.

Steve balled up his fists tightly on the table, silverware forgotten. They’d had to teach him about that, too.

“Am I the monster my creators always wanted me to be?” Steve asked softly, head still ducked down. Tony could still see tears falling onto the table under him.

That, more than anything, settled things in Tony’s mind. No one who really was a monster ever wondered things like that, but good people always did.

“No, kid. You’re not,” he said. “But the hard fact of life is no one is perfect, and even good people fuck up. Even with the best of intentions. Honestly though, I don’t really know what you could have done differently. Sometimes the best choice you have is still only the one that’s the least bad. That’s kinda what this sounds like to me.”

Steve looked up at him, his weirdly bright eyes red lined and puffy, but there was a lift to his shoulders that spoke of hope.

“We’ll find James,” Clint said. “Then you two can talk it out.”

Some of the vines around Steve started to slowly green up again, though nothing nearly as verdant as before. He nodded and went back to poking his plate of food.

“And Steve?” Natasha added. “Sometimes even a little bit of joy shared during poor circumstances is still a good thing. Even if it’s not perfect. I speak from experience on that.” Her voice turned a little more serious and she added, “But tomorrow we’re having a long talk about common sex practices. And...maybe some trauma recovery stuff too. James might need it.”

It went unsaid that Steve probably needed it, too.

\--

The Asset was cold. It was dark in his cell. He’d been tossed there after being awoken from his cryo chamber and wiped. No one came close to him. They directed him with nooses looped around his neck, attached at the end of long poles. The restraints on the Chair were all automated. 

His head hurt. It _hurt_. 

As he sat shivering, naked, and still half frozen from cryo sleep, he started to notice the golden lines on his skin. They looked like little swirls of paint. His fingers trembled, but with some effort he smeared a little of the gold onto his hand. It smelled like flowers. He smelled like death and cold and flowers. 

It tasted like heaven. Sweet and light. He sat quietly and slowly licked his hand. It wasn’t food, not even close. Something told him that he shouldn’t expect food. But the sweet flavor was more comfort than he expected. 

There was a memory. The Asset couldn’t place it. It swam in the back of his mind, connecting with the nectar on his tongue. 

Then he felt something move inside of him, deep in his gut. He froze, terrified. 

_What had they done to him?_

As terrifying as the sensation was, it never became painful. He could feel something moving down his gut and towards the inner rim of his ass, almost ready to come out. A deep shiver that had nothing to do with the cold ran down his spine. 

The Asset swallowed hard, grit his teeth, and slowly moved his flesh hand down to feel. He was tempted to try his metal hand, but it wasn’t sensitive enough to capture nuance. 

Fear ate like acid in his stomach as he delicately felt around his hole. A bit of liquid oozed out of him and two tiny tendrils followed, snaking up his hand and arm. 

Vines. 

_What the hell?_ Why were vines living inside of him? His eyes grew wide and his breath came out in short pants. He fought the urge to shake them off, to try and rip them out of his body.

While he struggled to stay still, the vines nosed around for a moment, giving him ample opportunity to stare. It was horrifying. It _should_ be horrifying. But there was that something in the back of his head that said this was familiar.

Something good. 

Those little flickers warred with the anxiety and upset, leaving him mostly just confused. He took a few deep breaths, settling himself as the vines shifted.

Soon they retreated back inside of him and he sat puzzling over the mix of emotions. He wracked his brain while he licked more of the golden dust, trying to discern what he might know about what happened to him.

Somehow the Asset knew that memories shouldn’t be coming back so quickly after a wipe. The sensation of the vines and the smell and taste of the golden dust was familiar though. He knew these sensations, and they spoke of...safety. 

He frowned and thought harder, pulled at the fuzzy blankness in his mind. It hurt. It all hurt, but he had to know. Why did these things make him feel less alone?

Blue eyes. He knew someone with bright blue eyes.

When Handler Rumlow came to oversee his equipping, the Asset learned more.

Rumlow _tisk-tisked_ when he saw the Asset’s naked form. “Shame about that ass. I woulda liked another shot at it.”

Rollins ugly-laughed behind him. “You’d fuck anything if it held still long enough.”

“I fuck you, don’t I?” Rumlow replied with a smirk, then he looked back at the Asset. “Gotta admit, though, it was a good lay. Tight. Always tight, even after it’d been fucked for hours. Fuckin’ botany crew, infecting the Asset with their bullshit. Crying shame.”

The Asset mulled those words over as he was driven to his next mission. The next time the vines inside of him moved, all he felt was relief. 

\--

In the end, it took them almost a year to find the Winter Soldier. A year of raiding bases and finding moles inside of Shield. 

On the bright side, they’d discovered that both Fury and Hill weren’t compromised. With their help, they managed to reach out to other loyal members of SHIELD and plan counter espionage. 

On the down side, they only found the Soldier after he’d been sent to kill them. 

Tony guessed it was coming. In order to succeed, eventually Hydra would have to kill off the biggest threats to their plans. Their go-to weapon for that was the Asset.

This little fact came with a fair amount of bitterness from Tony. In their searching, they’d found out that the Soldier was the one who killed Tony’s parents. That was an ugly day for everyone. 

It took some time, but Tony knew too well the sort of things that the Asset was forced to go through. How his training went. Tony was still pissed, but he couldn’t bring himself to blame another victim. Instead, he focused his rage on the people who ordered it.

So as Hydra prepared to kick off their big new plan, Project Insight, Tony knew damn well they’d send out the Asset. They’d all planned to react accordingly.

Unbeknownst to Hydra, SHIELD loyalists had counter-infiltrated all the Insight crews, ready to disable the carriers before they could take off. Fury and Tony played bait for the Soldier, with Steve and Clint always lurking around on standby. 

Soon enough, their patience paid off. Steve was able to intercept the Soldier just outside of Fury’s DC apartment. The fight didn’t actually last that long, because as soon as Steve got close enough, the Asset froze.

“I know you.” The Asset’s voice was barely a whisper under his mask. 

Steve nodded. “I told you I’d come for you. Steal you away.”

The Asset shook his head, like he was trying to jar something loose. When he looked back up his brow was furrowed into a glare, “I must complete my mission.”

But that pause was long enough for Clint to get into position and take a shot. The Asset dropped hard, tranquilized. After reading all the notes on lab experiments, they knew exactly how much to dose him with to make him drop right away but not actually harm him. At least something good could come out of all that awfulness.

“I know,” Steve said softly to his Asset and gathered him close. Finally wrapped up and safe like Steve had promised. 

The rest of the team was left ready to deal with Project Insight, and whichever members of the World Security Council were running it. Steve had had something more important to do. He took the Asset home.

Tony wished them both luck.

\--

When the Asset woke up, he was warm. Warm and comfortable, surrounded by soft, pillowy fabrics.

That...made no sense.

He wrinkled his brow and shifted around a bit, still only half awake. A heavy weight covered him from neck to toes and everything was so soft against his skin. The scent of flowers, water, and earth filled his nose, heady like a strong wine.

That was about the moment he realized he was naked. That in and of itself didn’t feel unusual. He was often left nude in between missions. But mixed with the sheer comfort all around him, it was a shock.

When he opened his eyes, paradise unfolded around him.

Green, leafy vines filled his view, trailing up across the high ceiling above him and trailing down. Clusters of white and blue flowers hung from each dangling end, and swayed gently in the air. Looking down, he found himself on a massive plush bed, the likes of which he’d never seen. Or remembered seeing, at least. Vibrant blue, teal, and purple blankets covered him and trailed down to the floor around the massive bed. The bed posts were actually growing vines, each one curling up at the end to hold on to a tiny cast iron lantern. Instead of carpet or tile on the floor, thick waves of knee-high grass covered the ground, with small stone-covered trails leading around the room. Trees, shrubs, and flowers of all kinds filled the wide open space. Dotted in between them were hints of modern conveniences. A few comfortable chairs were placed strategically around, accompanied by end tables filled with books. Off on the far end of the room was what looked like the beginnings of a stone-lined kitchen, hidden behind a line of trees. 

Everywhere the Asset looked, there were more vines. They wrapped around everything, bringing with them a veritable army of flowers. Several of them lay across him on the bed, weighing down the blankets on top of him. 

The Asset struggled to sit up, partially hindered by whatever drug was still working its way out of his system. Part of the struggle was also forcing himself up out of his soft cocoon. But he’d been shot and taken mid-mission, and anxiety clawed up his spine and made his neck crawl. 

Before he could get fully upright, he spied a movement out of the corner of his eye. The Asset flinched back hard, briefly scrambling for weapons he knew he didn’t have. 

It was the man. The one with the eyes he _knew_ he’d seen somewhere before. 

He stood a safe distance away from the Asset’s resting spot. Though if that was supposed to be safer for the Asset or safer for the man, the Asset wasn’t sure. Vines covered the man as well, wrapping up his legs and waist, but leaving the rest of him nude. A thick ray of sunlight peeked through the trees and illuminated right where he was standing, and to the Asset’s eyes, he glowed. 

Beautiful. 

It took a moment for it to register, but the vines didn’t just wrap up and around the man, they were part of the man. Not human, then. As soon as the Asset turned to look at the creature, a blinding smile crossed the creature’s face. 

_Finish the mission, finish the mission_ , pounded in the back of the Asset’s head. But this was all too familiar. He knew this creature. He knew him. For that reason alone he fought back the pressure in his head and stayed still.

The Asset thought about the golden paint on his skin, and the vines inside his body. It couldn’t be a coincidence. 

“I know you,” the Asset said finally. Half of him was screaming to run, to fight, to move. The other half was frozen in place. The conflicting needs made him shiver and shudder. His metal arm recalibrated, a nervous shifting of the plates up and down. 

The creature nodded. “You do. A year ago, you saved me from the lab where I was created.”

Again, the Asset was torn. On one hand, that didn’t sound right. The Asset, the Fist of Hydra, never saved anything. He delivered death and pain only. But again, that strange niggling feeling prodded at him. As outlandish as it seemed, it _felt_ right. 

He thought back to what Handler Rumlow said before he was deployed. “Did you infect me?”

Like that, the glorious smile was gone. The creature hung his head, dropping their shared gaze. “Yes. I did. You---” He shook his head a moment, clearly struggling. “You asked for some of it. Your handlers---” A grim, short laugh escaped from him and he shook his head again. “It doesn’t matter. I thought I was helping you. Keeping you safe until I could come back to take you away from your tormentors.”

The Asset raised his eyebrows in surprise. Interesting. Strangely pleasing, too. Someone cared for him, enough to try and protect him while they were away. 

Electric blue eyes gazed up at him imploringly. “Did it work? Did they stop touching you? Hurting you?” That look begged for both answers and mercy, and the Asset found he couldn’t deny either unspoken request. 

“No one touches me,” he said quietly, and then he shivered. As much as he didn’t want to be beaten, he found he still craved the sensation of someone else’s hand on him. That alone was enough to make the pain and upset well up inside of him, so he pushed it aside to concentrate on the present. “They still find ways to hurt me. Beatings, sometimes. Whipping. And there is always The Chair. But nothing enters me.”

A timid smile broke across the creature’s face. “Yeah? Good. I’m glad. Really glad.”

They sat there in awkward silence for a few moments, both clearly struggling not to move, though probably for different reasons. 

“You wanted to be mine,” the creature finally whispered, eyes big and sad. 

A flicker of a memory ripped through the Asset’s mind. It was pleasure, so much pleasure, the likes of which he’d never felt. Throughout it all, a soft voice whispering sweet nothings about being owned and treasured. Being safe. 

Mission orders screamed in the back of the Asset’s head and he winced. He worked his fingers in frustration, grabbing his blankets and twisting. “I...I must complete my mission. But I don’t think I want to.” The last few words came out quiet as a prayer. Even saying them felt blasphemous. 

“You said the same then. I held you down with my vines and kept us both safe. For a time.”

Another half memory of pleasure shot through the Asset, causing a tightening in his groin. The vines inside of him reacted and shifted a bit in place, rubbing up delightfully inside of him. His eyes fluttered closed and he bit his lip. 

“I think I remember that,” he whispered. He tried to focus. “Are you my owner now?”

He hoped the creature would say yes.

There was a long pause as the creature considered this. Eventually he said, “I will always keep you safe. If you wish it, I will care for you and treasure you. I grew this garden for you to stay in and I found powerful allies to help us, should we need. But I. I think that. What I mean is.” The creature grit his teeth in frustration and ran a hand through his short hair. Finally he looked at the Asset, face gravely serious. “Your mind has been damaged, and I think our former masters trained you to be an object that is controlled. The truth is, though, that you own yourself. I will always strive to give you anything you need, but it is your choice to accept or decline. And you can always say no to me, if you want.”

The Asset wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. Choice wasn’t a thing he knew about. He’d never even considered it. But the more they talked, the more settled he became. 

It took him a few minutes to realize what it was. The scent of the flowers was putting him at ease. But it didn’t feel like drugs. He knew what being drugged felt like. No, this was more that the floral scent reminded him of safety. 

Another flicker of being surrounded by vines flashed behind his eyes. That’s where it came from. That feeling of security. 

The feeling of being _home_. 

“Can I stay here?” the Asset asked timidly. 

That glorious smile broke out across the creature’s face again. “I had hoped you would. There is food. And blankets. Many of them.”

The Asset smoothed his flesh hand over the velvety comforter covering his legs. Almost without realizing it, a pleased little smile pulled at his lips. “These are--are mine, then?”

“All of it is, my flower.” 

A warmth bloomed inside of the Asset, the likes of which he’d never felt before. It seemed fragile, though. But good. 

“Will there be missions?” he asked. The need to obey was well ingrained. It would be easier if the creature would tell him what to do. The Asset thought he might like that, serving someone so kind.

The creature tilted his head sideways. “Sometimes I go do things, but I decide what to do and how to do it. If one day you wish to choose your own missions, you can do that. No one here will ever force you to do a mission, though.” 

The creature inched forward. Not so fast that it made the Asset wary, but steadily. Vines shifted around on the bed, rearranging the spread of the flowers into different designs. Every time they moved over the Asset’s blanket covered body, he shivered. 

Everything was so different, so new, the Asset was having a hard time coping. Mission orders pounded in the back of his head and his eyes stung. The vines inside of him shifted again and it felt so much better than he was expecting. He shivered hard at the sensation and bit his lip. 

Then the creature was at his side, kneeling on the floor next to the bed. “What do you need, my flower? Please, tell me how I can help.”

“I. I think I remember you holding me.” The creature nodded. “Would you hold me again? Can you? Without getting hurt? Please?” The Asset hadn’t been touched in so long that his skin hurt; _ached_ with the need to feel. 

Just the thought that he could just ask and it would happen boggled the mind, but the creature had said ‘anything’, so he wanted to try. 

A soft, pink blush brightened the creature’s cheeks and he let out a short breath. His eyes flashed and he said, “Oh yes. I would like that.” But he hesitated before coming closer, one hand stretched out onto the bedspread. “You will tell me if you need me to stop, or even if you’re uncomfortable. For any reason.”

The Asset nodded quickly, eager in a way he didn’t fully understand. 

“Lay down,” the creature said as he slowly eased up onto the bed. 

The Asset was quick to comply. A light, shivery feeling overcame him as vines carefully began to cover him, sneaking under the covers to wrap up his naked limbs. When the creature’s hand first touched the Asset’s chest, he moaned, long and low. It was hot like a brand and felt oh so good. His eyes fluttered shut and he strained his head towards the creature, vaguely remembering the feeling of fingers in his hair. 

Slow as flowing rock, the creature eased himself onto the Asset, laying down on top of him so they were touching down the full length of their bodies. Vines wrapped around them both, and again that light, shivery feeling came over the Asset. The creature’s breath was in his ear and hands and vines stroked up and down his side. It was indescribably wonderful, to feel those strong limbs all around him. Keeping him safe. 

He lifted up his chin, baring his neck. “Please,” he said. He needed it. Wanted to feel like nothing he could do would hurt anyone around him, least of all this wonderful creature.

“Yes,” the creature said into his ear, and a thick vine wrapped its way around the Asset’s neck. It wasn’t tight, not at all, but it was there. Holding him. 

It was like all the tension the Asset had been holding inside of him day in and day out for as long as he could remember just flowed out of him. He was safe. Treasured. Maybe even loved. 

A quiet, pleased little sound escaped him as his eyes drifted closed. Everything was good. 

How long they stayed that way, the Asset couldn’t say. The whole while, though, the creature spoke to him. Whispered wonderful things. Told him about a team of friends. Powerful, kind, extraordinary people who worked hard to help the creature build a life here. He talked about how he’d chosen each plant in his garden with an eye to please the Asset, how he’d hoped the Asset would be happy there. Soft, loving words about being cared for and provided for made the Asset soar even higher, floating on how loved he was. Safely bound. The creature spoke of how he got his own name, and how his new friends had helped him find the Asset’s name. 

The Asset had a name. 

Thick, happy tears flowed down the Asset’s face. He had a name. He was a person. A person who was treasured by the most amazing creature he’d ever heard of. A beautiful, kind, caring being who made him a home and kept him safe. 

The truth of it sank in. 

He was safe.

He was home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :D


End file.
